A   RECORD  OF  THE 

Terrible  Scenes  of  May  4, 1 886. 


Chicago  and  New  York  : 

BELFORD,  CLARKE  &  CO. 

1886. 


CHIEF  OF  POLICE  EBERSOLD. 


THE  CHICAGO  RIOT 


A  RECORD  OF  THE 


TERRIBLE  SCENES  OF  MAY  4,  1886. 


BY  PAUL  C.  HULL, 

AN  EYE-WITNESS  OF  THE  TRAGEDY. 


ILLUSTRATED   BY   TRUE  WILLIAMS. 


BELFORD,   CLARKE  &  CO., 

CHICAGO  AND  NEW  YORK. 

iff, 


COPYRIGHT, 
BY  BELFORD,   CLARKE  &  CO. 

1886. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
THE  HISTORY  OF  SOCIALISM .   7 

CHAPTER  II. 
THE  FATAL  FOURTH  OF  MAY 38 

CHAPTER  III. 
THE  DAY  AFTER 98 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


CHIEF  OF  POLICE  EBERSOLD Fipntistiect, 

INSPECTOR  BONFIELD 17 

AUGUST  SPIES 33 

A.  R.  PARSONS 49 

MICHAEL  SCHWAB 65 

SAMUEL  FIELDEN 81 

MAP  OF  THE  SCENE  OF  THF.  RIOT 61 

EXPLOSION  OF  THE  BOMB 97 

CHARGE  OF  THE  POLICE 113 

THE  WOUNDED  AND  DYING  AT  DESPLAINF.S  ST.  STATION.  .   .  121 


THE  RED  FLAG. 

What  nation  and  what  government — 

This  crimson  tatter  all  besprent 

With  human  skulls,  and  flame  and  gore, 
Circling  and  flaunting  evermore — 

What  people  does  it  represent  ? 

Emblem  of  treason  and  of  hate, 

Red  banner  of  an  outlawed  state, 
Each  fold  a  lighted  torch  conceals, 
Each  wave  a  glittering  pike  reveals, 

Each  with  its  lurking,  coward  mate. 

Baptized  in  riot,  blood,  and  fire, 

A  faggot  saved  for  freedom's  pyre; 
Companion  of  the  garb  of  shame, 
Without  a  home,  without  a  name — 

Base  bastard  of  an  unknown  sire! 

What  deed  of  valor  has  it  wrought  ? 
What  hero  hosts  have  cheered  and  fought, 

Keeping  it  ever  in  their  sight, 

And  died  for  principle  and  right 
And  blessed  liberty,  blood-bought? 

No  emblem  can  inspire  so  well 

A  sortie  of  the  hosts  of  hell! 

Where  malice  lurks  and  treason  plots 
And  foreign  lepers  bare  their  spots — 

There  floats  this  ghastly  sentinel. 

Haul  down  the  flaunting  alien  rag — 
Foul  insult  to  our  starry  flag! 
When  they  go  waving  side  by  side 
Where  is  the  freeman's  vaunted  pride? 
Haul  down  the  red,  spew  out  the  gag! 

— F.  0.  Bennett. 
5 


SOCIALISM — A  theory  of  society  which  advocates  a  more  pre- 
cise, orderly  and  harmonious  arrangement  of  the  social  relations 
of  mankind  than  that  which  has  hitherto  prevailed. —  Webster. 

COMMUNISM — The  reorganizing  of  society,  or  the  doctrine 
that  it  should  be  reorganized,  by  regulating  property,  industry 
and  the  means  of  livelihood,  and  also  the  domestic  relations 
and  social  morals  of  mankind;  socialism;  especially  the  doc- 
trine of  a  community  of  property,  or  the  negative  of  individual 
right  in  property.—/.  H.  Burton. 

ANARCHY — Want  of  government ;  the  state  of  society  where 
there  is  no  law  or  supreme  power,  or  where  the  laws  are  not 
efficient,  and  individuals  do  what  they  please  with  impunity. 
—  Webster. 


THE  CHICAGO  RIOT. 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE    HISTORY   OF   SOCIALISM. 

Socialism  is  the  parent  stem  of  all,  and  from  it 
spring  many  branches  of  many  names.  All  lead 
to  the  same  point  by  different  roads.  All  wish  to 
attain  a  common  end,  but  by  different  methods. 
But  it  is  not  the  province  of  this  pamphlet  to  dis- 
cuss or  analyze  the  forms  of  Socialism.  Leave  that 
to  those  who  have  more  ability  and  leisure  than 
the  writer.  The  aim  of  this  little  book  is  to  show 
the  rise,  progress  and  work  of  the  Socialists  of 
Chicago  and  to  tell  the  story  of  the  great  riot  of 
the  night  of  May  4,  1886,  and  the  causes  of  that 
riot.  The  writer  is  the  only  man  who  was  a  dis- 
interested spectator  of  that  bloody  scene. 
Let  us,  then,  begin  at  the  beginning  : 
For  many  months  a  few  hundreds  of  profes- 
sional Communistic  Anarchists  in  Chicago  have 
created  the  growing  fear  that  something  in  the 
nature  of  a  Nihilistic  mine  threatened  life  and 
property  in  the  city.  The  Communistic  utterances 
of  the  leaders  on  the  lake  front  and  in  Haymarket 


8  THE   CHICAGO    RIOT. 

square  has  evidenced  that  a  serious  social  conflict 
was  imminent. 

The  fact  that  Chicago  has  been  for  years  the 
central  distributing  point  for  all  the  vast  European 
immigration  that  has  sought  the  United  States  in 
the  last  decade  has  made  it  peculiarly  the  abiding- 
place  of  the  only  human  material  from  which 
social  peace  in  America  has  anything  to  fear. 
The  sober,  industrious,  economical  and  desirable 
stream  of  foreign  immigration  flows  into  and  out 
of  the  city,  adding  to  its  population  and  prosperity 
and  to  the  wealth  and  population  of  the  great  west 
tributary  to  it. 

But  borne  along  by  this  stream  are  the  scum 
and  dregs  of  countries  where  despotism  has  made 
paupers  and  tyranny  has  bred  conspirators.  From 
Russia  Chicago  receives  Nihilists,  the  gift  of  cent- 
uries of  Slavonic  slavery  and  cruelty.  From  the 
German  states  come  Socialists,  the  offspring  of 
military  exactions  and  autocratic  government,  and 
from  Europe  generally,  including  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland,  Chicago  drains  the  feverish  spirit  of  hu- 
man resentment  against  laws  of  life,  of  property, 
and  of  conduct  which  it  has  no  hand  in  making  or 
enforcing. 

From  the  nature  of  its  situation  Chicago  catches 
far  more  than  its  share  of  this  undesirable  residuum 
of  the  national  immigration,  but  it  was  thought  that 


THE   CHICAGO   RIOT.  9 

in  no  other  city  in  the  Union  could  it  be  received 
with  less  danger  to  the  community.  Chicago  con- 
gratulated itself  that  the  ceaseless  activity  of  its 
business  life  was  not  the  atmosphere  in  which  plots 
and  conspiracies  against  property,  law  and  social 
order  could  prosper.  The  opportunities  to  obtain 
individual  property  are  so  many  and  infectious  that 
they  should  exorcise  the  spirit  of  the  Commune 
that  cries,  "  Burn,  destroy,  level ! "  But  there  is 
always,  in  every  residuum,  some  irreclaimable 
dregs.  So  in  the  thousands  of  immigrants  who 
come  to  Chicago  to  escape  the  grinding  oppression 
of  Europe,  imbued  with  bitter  hatred  of  everything 
that  seems  an  injustice  in  the  distribution  of 
wealth  and  honors  in  this  world,  there  remains  an 
insignificant  number  who  do  not  appreciate  the 
new  civilization  to  which  they  have  come  and  into 
which  they  should  assimilate.  The  prejudices  of 
these  have  been  fed  and  fostered  by  designing  and 
selfish  leaders  or  crazed  fanatics.  They  are  told 
that  all  law  is  tyranny,  all  society  is  their  enemy, 
and  that  all  individual  prosperity  is  robbery  the 
world  over — in  America  where  they  have  a  hand  in 
the  government,  as  in  Europe  where  they  had  not. 
And  it  is  this  band  of  ignorant  villains  and  design- 
ing demagogues  that  has  bred  riot  and  bloodshed 
in  Chicago. 

Socialism  in  Chicago  grew  out  of  or  rather  was 


10  THE   CHICAGO    RIOT. 

coincident  with  the  agitation  for  shorter  working 
hours.  That  agitation  was  begun  by  German 
workingmen  after  the  panic  of  1857,  and  increased 
until  it  was  overwhelmed  by  the  excitement  attend- 
ing the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  After  the  war  1,500,- 
ooo  men  were  thrown  on  the  labor  market  of  the 
country,  and  trades  unions  were  formed  and  began 
again  to  agitate  for  a  reduction  of  the  hours  of 
labor.  The  movement  has  continued  ever  since. 

The  Chicago  Socialists  first  showed  their  politi- 
cal strength  in  1867  and  1868,  when  tickets  were 
put  up  by  the  labor  party,  and  in  the  latter  year  it 
elected  several  aldermen.  Just  previous  to  that 
time  the  Socialistic  labor  movement  had  broken 
out  in  Germany,  and  it  was  transplanted  to  this 
country  by  the  natural  spread  of  ideas  and  through 
the  aid  of  German  immigrants. 

In  1874  the  Socialists  placed  a  ticket  in  the  field 
at  election,  and  Francis  Hoffman,  the  present  cor- 
poration counsel,  appeared  on  it  as  a  candidate  for 
Congress.  He  helped  to  frame  the  platform  and 
made  speeches  all  through  the  campaign.  He  got 
about  five  hundred  votes.  In  the  same  year  or  the 
one  following  A.  R.  Parsons  ran  for  county  clerk 
on  a  Socialist  ticket  and  got  8,000  votes.  At  that 
time  the  Socialists  called  their  party  the  working- 
men's  party  of  the  United  States.  Two  years  later 
they  changed  its  name  to  the  Socialistic  labor 


THE   CHICAGO    RIOT.  11 

party,  and  at  the  next  election  polled  12,000  votes. 
In  April,  1878,  Frank  Stauber,  a  Socialist,  was  elect- 
ed alderman  from  the  I4th  ward.  In  1879  a  So- 
cialist named  Lorenz  was  elected  his  colleague. 
Stauber  was  reelected  in  1880.  In  1881  Altpeter 
was  elected  from  the  6th  and  Meier  from  the  i6th 
ward.  The  latter  was  reelected  in  1883. 

The  others  wouldn't  run  for  reelection,  and  the 
Socialists  stopped  putting  up  canditates.  Dr. 
Schmidt,  Socialist  candidate  for  mayor  against 
Harrison  at  his  first  election,  polled  12,000  votes 
and  split  the  Republican  party  so  that  Harrison 
was  elected.  He  would  have  appointed  a  number 
of  Socialists  to  office,  but  they  didn't  want  the 
positions.  They  were  satisfied  with  organizing 
unions  and  trying  to  make  the  Democratic  party  a 
labor  party. 

The  only  Socialists  now  holding  office  under  the 
city  are  these  : 

Joseph  Gruenhut,  recorder  of  statistics,  ex- 
Alderman  Meier,  police  clerk  at  Chicago  avenue 
station,  Harry  Rubens,  attorney  of  the  board  of 
education,  and  Francis  Hoffman,  corporation  coun- 
sel. 

The  Socialists  have  been  strong  enough  to  elect 
four  representatives  to  the  legislature.  They  were 
Senator  Artley,  and  Representatives  Meier,  Erhardt 
and  Meilbeck.  Chicago  has  been  the  hotbed  of 


12  THE   CHICAGO    RIOT. 

Socialism  in  this  country.  She  has  been  the  leader. 
The  Germans  and  Bohemians,  of  whom  the  last 
school  census  gives  Chicago  209,631  and  28,281 
respectively,  are  essentially  Socialistic.  From 
those  nationalities  Socialism  gets  its  main  strength. 

The  Anarchists  are  an  offshoot  from  the  Social- 
ists, and  embrace  those  who  think  that  mere  organ- 
ization and  voting-are  not  sufficient.  They  believe 
in  the  ideas  of  the  Nihilists  of  Russia  and  the 
Communists  of  France.  Herr  Most,  who  is  a 
lunatic,  may  be  considered  their  first  leader  in  this 
country. 

The  Communistic  Anarchists,  numbering  only  a 
few  hundreds,  have  for  the  past  ten  years  been  the 
disturbing  element  in  Chicago  labor  agitations. 
They  believe  in  the  destruction  of  all  government 
and  all  private  property.  They  want  absolute  po- 
litical and  social  confusion.  The  fulfillment  of 
their  dreams  would  be  a  community  where  no 
order,  system  or  arrangement  of  society  prevailed. 
They  do  not  admit  that  such  a  community  should 
be  formed  of  humanity  bred  and  educated  to  such 
a  moral  and  intellectual  height  that  violation  of 
moral  law  would  be  unknown  and  impossible,  and 
hence  physical  force  to  compel  obedience  to  such 
law  would  be  unnecessary.  They  do  not  propose 
to  effect  this  wonderful  change  in  society  and 
human  nature  slowly,  gradually  and  by  natural 


THE   CHICAGO   RIOT.  13 

means.  None  will  place  the  limit  of  time  beyond 
fifty  years.  All  propose  to  establish  by  the  most 
violent  of  physical  forces  a  society  where  physical 
force  will  be  unknown.  Every  Communistic  An- 
archist is  willing  to  become  a  robber,  an  incendiary 
and  a  murderer  in  order  to  establish  a  state  .of  soci- 
ety for  his  own  benefit,  of  which  no  man  could  be  a 
member  whose  moral  character  was  not  equal  to 
that  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  was  an  advocate  of  such  a 
doctrine  who  hurled  the  murderous  bomb  in  Hay- 
market  square. 

The  acknowledged  leaders  of  the  Communistic 
Anarchists  in  Chicago  are  August  Spies,  A.  R.  Par- 
sons, Michael  Schwab,  Samuel  Fielden,  P.  J.  Dusey, 
known  as  "  Dynamite "  Dusey,  and  Chris.  Spies, 
brother  of  August.  Their  prominence  as  leaders 
and  expounders  of  the  cause  is  indicated  by  the 
order  in  which  they  are  named  above. 

August  Spies  is  a  pale-faced,  intellectual-looking 
German,  thirty-six  years  of  age.  He  was  born  in 
Hessia  and  came  to  this  country  in  1873.  He  has 
been  a  Socialist  all  his  life,  and  started  a  newspaper 
in  support  of  that  cause  in  1879.  His  paper  was 
called  the  Arbeiter  Zeitung,  and  a  sheet  was  never 
published  which  contained  matter  more  revolution- 
ary to  the  law  and  order  of  the  community.  He 
was  an  agitator  among  his  class  as  early  as  1877,  and 
in  the  past  six  years  has  been  very  active  and 


14  THE   CHICAGO   RIOT. 

successful  in  stirring  up  revolution  among  his 
people.  He  is  the  author  of  many  tracts  on  the 
subject  of  Socialism,  and  as  a  violent  speech-maker 
he  stands  the  peer  of  the  lunatic  Most.  He  is 
passionate  and  emotional,  and  entirely  incompe- 
tent to  discuss  the  principles  of  his  creed  calmly  or 
logically.  He  was  a  student  of  explosives  and  their 
use,  and  an  expert  in  the  manufacture  of  bombs 
and  infernal  machines,  as  will  appear  below,  and 
evidences  of  which  were  discovered  in  abundance  in 
his  office  after  the  riot. 

A.  R.  Parsons  is  a  medium  sized,  slimly  built 
man,  with  a  light  mustache.  By  trade  he  is  a 
printer.  He  is  well  educated,  thoroughly  posted 
on  Socialism,  and  a  fluent  and  stirring  speaker. 
Unlike  Spies,  he  is  cool  and  calculating,  and  in 
his  most  rabid  and  inflammatory  speeches  weighed 
every  word.  He  was  the  editor  of  the  Alarm, 
an  English  edition  of  the  Arbeiter  Zeitung.  He 
is  well  known  in  Pittsburgh,  where,  during  the 
last  few  years,  he  has  been  a  frequent  visitor  and 
made  many  inflammatory  speeches.  He  was  in 
that  city  in  January,  at  which  time  he  was  asked  by 
a  reporter  if  it  was  true  that  a  quantity  of  bombs 
had  been  discovered  in  the  office  of  the  Alarm,  in 
Chicago.  Parsons'  reply  was:  "  Certainly  it  is  true. 
We  do  not  pretend  to  make  a  secret  of  the  manu- 
facture of  these  bombs  to  be  employed  by  Anarch- 


THE   CHICAGO   RIOT.  15 

ists  everywhere  upon  emergency.  Would  you  like 
to  see  one?  If  so,  I  can  gratify  the  wish,  as  I  have 
two  fine  specimens  with  me  which  now  calmly 
repose  in  the  inside  pocket  of  my  coat." 
A  Houston,  Texas,  special  says  of  him: 
"  Several  citizens  here  recognize  an  old  acquaint- 
ance in  Anarchist  Parsons.  Parsons  is  the  son  of 
the  famous  Confederate  general,  W.  H.  Parsons, 
commander  of  Parsons'  brigade.  General  Parsons 
was  one  of  the  brilliant  men  of  Texas,  and  this 
eldest  Anarchist  son  is  said  to  inherit  his  father's 
versatile  talents.  For  several  years  after  the  close 
of  the  Rebellion  General  Parsons  published  the 
Daily  Telegraph  of  this  city,  the  first  daily  paper  in 
Houston.  In  1872  he  joined  the  Republican  party 
and  accepted  the  nomination  from  this  district  for 
state  senator  in  the  twelfth  legislature.  The 
twelfth  legislature  was  notoriously  a  corrupt 
body,  and  when  General  Parsons  closed  his  sen- 
atorial career  he  was  charged  with  being  a  rich 
man  and  shortly  afterward  left  Texas  to  reside  in 
New  York.  The  Anarchist  son  followed  his  father 
east,  taking  with  him  a  colored  woman,  whom  he 
is  reported  to  have  since  married.  Parties  who 
knew  the  Anarchist  here  years  ago  are  surprised 
at  his  degradation.  He  comes  from  an  aristocratic 
southern  family  and  his  affiliation  with  dynamiters 
cannot  be  accounted  for." 


16  THE   CHICAGO   RIOT. 

Michael  Schwab  is  a  German,  past  thirty-five  years 
of  age.  He  was  assistant  editor  of  the  Arbeiter  Zei- 
tung,  and  a  speaker  on  all  occasions  of  meetings  of 
Anarchists.  He  always  addressed  his  countrymen 
in  German. 

Samuel  Fielden  is  below  the  medium  height, 
thick  set  and  muscular.  His  face  is  swarthy  and 
covered  with  a  heavy  beard.  His  brow  is  low,  his 
face  dull,  and  his  appearance  indicates  the  pre- 
dominance of  the  brute.  But  this  is  not  the 
character  of  the  man.  Unlike  any  of  his  associates 
he  is  a  laboring  man.  He  drove  a  stone  wagon, 
and  worked  hard  for  his  daily  bread.  He  was 
kind  to  his  family,  and  bore  a  good  reputation 
among  men.  He  was  bitter  against  society  be- 
cause of  the  position  he  occupied  in  it,  and  prob- 
ably his  greatest  crime  was  that  committed  by 
Old  Dog  Tray — he  was  in  villainous  company. 
Speaking  for  himself,  he  says: 

"  I  was  thirty-nine  years  old  last  February,  and 
was  born  in  Todmorden,  Lancashire,  England.  My 
parents  were  poor,  but  I  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  fair 
education.  The  first  memorable  event  in  my  life 
was  when  I  lost  my  mother.  I  was  then  only  ten 
years  old.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  I  attended  an 
old-fashioned  revival  meeting,  at  which  I  was  con- 
verted to  the  cause  of  Christianity.  Then  I  joined 
the  Methodist  church,  and  subsequently  preached 


INSPECTOR  BON  FIELD 


THE   CHICAGO    RIOT.  17 

the  gospel  in  my  immediate  neighborhood.  In 
1869  I  decided  to  leave  England  and  emigrate  to 
the  United  States,  and  reached  here  in  July,  1869, 
going  first  to  Olneyville,  R.  I.,  where  I  obtained 
employment  in  a  woolen  mill.  The  following  July 
I  went  to  Ohio  and  worked  on  a  farm  a  short  time, 
when  I  came  to  Chicago.  On  arriving  here  I  was 
employed  by  '  Long  John  '  to  work  on  his  farm  at 
Summit,  111.  When  winter  came  I  found  employ- 
ment in  stone  quarries,  and  have  followed  that 
class  of  work  most  of  the  time  since. 

"Soon  after  my  arrival  in  America  I  began 
reading  the  works  of  Tom  Paine,  to  which  I  became 
a  convert,  though  I  am  now  what  is  termed  a 
Materialist.  My  Socialistic  career  began  five  years 
ago,  when  I  joined  an  organization  called  the 
Chicago  Liberal  League.  I  at  once  became  an 
active  and  prominent  member  of  the  organization, 
and  it  was  principally  owing  to  my  efforts  that  the 
National  Liberal  League  was  compelled  to  adopt 
the  labor  platform.  My  connection  with  the  or- 
ganization brought  me  into  intimate  relations  with 
well-known  Socialistic  agitators,  and  I  soon  became 
an  enthusiastic  disciple  of  their  cause.  In  1884  I 
joined  the  Working-People's  Association,  with 
which  I  have  ever  since  been  prominently  identi- 
fied. I  believe  that  I  have  attained  considerable 
celebrity  as  a  public  speaker,  and  especially  as  an 
2 


18  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

advocate  of  the  laboring  people's  rights.  I  have 
assisted  in  building  up  Socialistic  organization  in 
Chicago,  and  am  proud  of  the  fact  that  we  are 
now  3,500  strong  in  membership,  not  including 
several  thousands  of  known  sympathizers.  Carter 
Harrison  ought  to  know  the  strength  of  our  organi- 
zation, as  it  was  the  Socialists  that  elected  him 
mayor  of  Chicago." 

P.  J.  Dusey  and  Chris.  Spies  deserve  but  pass- 
ing mention.  Dusey  is  a  reckless  fanatic,  imi- 
tating and  embellishing  in  his  speeches  the  vio- 
lent utterances  of  others.  Chris.  Spies  was  a 
silent  worker,  and  a  tool  of  his  more  talented 
brother. 

The  Communistic  Anarchists  first  made  their 
presence  felt  in  Chicago  in  the  lumber  riot  of  1876. 
A  strike  of  the  lumbermen  continued  for  some 
time,  an-d  the  mob  and  the  police  fought  at  inter- 
vals for  a  week.  In  these  battles  the  strikers  used 
pickets  as  weapons.  The  result  was  several 
wounded  strikers,  and  one  officer  killed. 

Following  this  came  the  great  railroad  riots  of 
1877.  A  strike  of  railroad  employes  was  in  prog- 
ress then  which  created  an  uproar  for  a  week  be- 
tween the  police  and  the  mob.  Many  skirmishes 
were  had,  and  the  trouble  culminated  in  the  "  via- 
duct riot  "  on  Halsted  street.  The  police  on  this 
occasion  commanded  the  viaduct,  and  fought  the 


THE   CHICAGO    RIOT.  19 

mob   from    both   approaches.     Many   strikers   and 
Anarchists  were  killed  and  wounded. 

During  the  progress  of  this  strike  the  German 
and  Bohemian  furniture  workers  held  a  meeting  in 
Twelfth  Street  Turner  Hall.  Nearly  all  of  these 
men  were  Socialists  and  many  were  Anarchists. 
The  meeting  was  a  turbulent  one,  and  owing  to  the 
disjointed  times  the  police  determined  to  disperse 
the  crowd.  A  posse  entered  the  hall  and  were  met 
at  the  entrance  by  Mike  Wasserman,  the  proprietor, 
who  demanded  that  they  go  away.  He  was 
knocked  down,  and  the  police  entered.  There  is 
dispute  as  to  whether  the  riot  act  was  read  to  the 
crowd.  The  police  fired  into  the  crowd,  killing  one 
man  and  wounding  many  more.  The  men  made 
frantic  efforts  to  escape.  Scores  of  them  jumped 
from  the  windows  to  the  ground  and  many  limbs 
were  broken.  The  rout  of  the  crowd  was  complete 
and  humiliating.  This  action  of  the  police  caused 
great  excitement  among  the  laboring  classes.  The 
matter  was  eventually  brought  into  the  courts, 
where  those  who  held  the  meeting  sued  the  city  for 
damages.  They  asked  for  but  nominal  damages, 
but  demanded  vindication  of  their  right  to  hold 
meetings.  Judge  McAllister,  still  on  the  bench  in 
Chicago,  rendered  a  decision  in  favor  of  the  prose- 
cution, and  in  his  summing  up  said  in  effect  that 
if  every  policeman  had  been  killed  no  member  of 


20  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

tne  crowd  attacked  could  have  been  legally  pun- 
ished for  it.  i 

That  assault  of  the  police  engendered  more 
murder  in  the  hearts  of  the  Socialists  of  Chicago 
than  any  previous  or  subsequent  act  of  the  authori- 
ties. There  are  men  in  Chicago  now  who  curse  the 
law  at  every  mention  of  that  raid.  A  Socialistic 
leader  said  to  the  writer  a  week  after  the  Hay- 
market  riot: 

"I  am  a  fatalist.  Nothing  happens  by  accident. 
The  last  riot  was  not  an  accident.  I  can  clearly 
trace  the  throwing  of  that  bomb  back  to  the 
bloody  scene  in  Turner  Hall.  That  act  of  the 
police  called  for  revenge,  and  we  have  never  for- 
gotten it,  and  will  never  forgive  it.  The  blood 
spilled  in  Haymarket  square  is  a  partial  atonement 
for  the  blood  spilled  in  Turner  Hall.  I  do  not  con- 
sider that  the  blot  has  yet  been  washed  out." 

It  is  certain  that  this  act  of  the  police  had  the 
effect  of  forming  military  companies  among  the 
Anarchists.  They  armed  themselves  with  muskets, 
and  a  few  of  the  companies  were  provided  with 
uniforms.  They  subsequently  grew  bold,  and  at 
intervals  paraded  the  streets  with  their  arms,  and 
under  the  red  flag.  Their  movements  and  the 
strength  of  their  increasing  numbers  grew  omi- 
nous, and  in  1879  an  act  was  passed  in  the  state 
assembly  prohibiting  the  parading  in  public  of 


THE    CHICAGO    RIOT.  21 

armed  companies  of  men  without  the  sanction  of  the 
governor.  This  was  a  direct  blow  at  the  Anarchists. 
Since  then  they  have  made  no  parades  with  arms, 
but  kept  up  their  drilling  secretly. 

In  the  winter  of  1883  a  newspaper  scare  was 
started  concerning  the  dangerous  st/ength  of  the 
armed  Socialists.  It  was  charged  by  the  heads  of 
the  Chicago  militia  that  this  Socialistic  strength 
was  such  that  the  combined  force  of  the  police  and 
militia  could  not  successfully  oppose  it  in  case  of 
an  outbreak.  The  matter  was  thoroughly  investi- 
gated by  the  police  and  by  the  writer.  The  police 
claimed  to  have  found  no  armed  or  drilling  So- 
cialists. The  writer  discovered  the  meeting  places 
of  three  companies  who  were  armed  and  who 
drilled  regularly.  Two  of  these  companies  were 
drilled  by  English  speaking,  American-born  drill- 
masters.  The  strength  of  all  these  companies  was 
not  above  one  hundred  men. 

It  developed  in  the  next  general  assembly  of  the 
state  that  this  scare  was  not  without  a  purpose.  A 
bill  appropriating  $20,000  to  the  state  militia  was 
passed. 

In  regard  to  the  presence  of  armed  companies 
of  Socialists  in  Chicago  Mr.  George  Schilling,  a 
leading  agitator,  said  to  the  writer: 

"There  are  armed  companies  of  Socialists  in 
Chicago,  but  their  strength  amounts  to  nothing. 


22  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

It  has  always  seemed  to  me  that  this  idea  of  my 
countrymen  in  forming  military  companies  is  the 
sheerest  nonsense.  Their  strength  will  effect 
nothing,  and  I  have  ridiculed  them  for  years. 
Every  handful  of  Socialistic  Germans  who  come  to 
our  shores  think  that  if  they  form  themselves  into 
a  military  company  they  may  by  some  lucky  turn 
destroy  this  great  government." 

A  visitor  to  Chicago,  just  a  month  before  the 
Haymarket  riot,  tells  a  thrilling  story  of  his  experi- 
ence in  a  Socialists'  drill-hall.  He  says: 

"  Missing  an  outgoing  train  for  the  east  a  few 
Saturday  nights  ago  I  sought  recreation  in  a  State 
street  theater.  Seated  near  were  two  intelligent- 
looking,  plainly  dressed  laboring  men  of  middle 
age.  They  retired  at  the  end  of  each  act  for 
refreshments.  At  the  close  of  the  play  I  politely 
invited  them  to  join  me  in  a  glass  of  beer  at  a 
neighboring  saloon.  There  the  conversation  turned 
on  the  labor  question.  They  were  both  enthusiasts 
on  the  subject  and  both  evinced  great  familiarity 
with  history  and  politics.  One  was  a  machinist 
and  the  other  a  master  stair-builder.  They  ex- 
pressed great  sympathy  with  the  working  classes. 
At  my  mention  of  Socialism  and  Communism  they 
exchanged  significant  glances.  I  purposely  sneered 
at  the  idea  of  there  being  an  organized  body  of 
Socialists  or  Communists.  My  sarcastic  allusions 


THK    CHICAC.O    RIOT.  23 

to  the  cowardice  of  the  working  classes  evoked 
passionate  replies.  I  had  said  I  was  a  stranger, 
and  they  said  that  if  I  could  convince  them  of  the 
truth  of  my  statement  they  would  show  me  some- 
thing to  change  my  opinion.  Going  to  my  hotel  I 
produced  documents  that  satisfied  them  I  was 
'  straight  goods,'  as  they  expressed  it. 

"Crossing  to  Clark  street  we  entered  a  saloon 
on  the  west  side  of  Clark,  between  Madison  and 
Monroe  streets.  Going  to  the  wine-room  in  the 
rear  I  sipped  a  glass  of  beer  with  one  while  the 
other  retired.  Returning  in  five  minutes  he  told 
me  I  would  have  to  submit  to  being  blindfolded. 
With  some  misgivings  I  agreed,  and  my  silk  muffler 
was  bound  over  my  eyes.  We  went  through  the 
rear  door,  entered  a  cab,  and  were  driven,  I  should 
think,  about  a  dozen  squares.  We  crossed  at  least 
one  bridge.  Ascending  two  flights  of  stairs  we 
traversed  a  long  hall  and  went  down  a  short  flight 
of  steps,  where  we  halted.  Here  one  of  my  con- 
ductors left  me. 

"The  musty  air  led  me  to  believe  I  was  in  the 
ante-room  to  a  lodge  hall.  I  could  hear  an  indis- 
tinct hum  of  voices,  shuffling  footsteps,  and  the 
muffled  rap  of  a  gavel.  After  a  long  wait  I  was 
taken  by  the  arms  and  pushed  along  various  halls 
and  around  abrupt  turns  through  a  door  into  a 
warmer  but  no  purer  atmosphere.  Slipping  the 


24  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

bandage  from  my  eyes  I  was  seated  between  two 
guards.  I  found  myself  in  a  large  hall  surrounded 
by  at  least  three  hundred  men.  The  hall  looked 
like  an  improvised  skating-rink.  About  thirty 
platoons  of  eights  were  moving  around  in  close 
marching  order  with  arms  folded  behind  the  backs, 
each  wearing  rubber  shoes  and  black  masks.  The 
drill-master  gave  orders  by  number,  which  were 
executed  with  the  utmost  precision.  The  falling 
of  the  gavel  called  a  halt,  and  soon  all  were  seated. 
"Under  the  head  'good  of  the  order'  the  presi- 
dent said  a  visiting  brother  from  Springfield  would 
address  them.  Numbers  97  and  51  were  named  to 
escort  the  speaker  to  the  rostrum.  He  advanced, 
saluted  the  chairman,  and  spoke  to  him  in  a  whis- 
per. Two  quick  raps  of  the  gavel  caused  the 
assembly  to  crowd  closely  around  the  platform. 
There  was  no  confusion  and  little  noise.  The  ad- 
dress was  begun  in  a  low  tone.  There  were  no 
rhetorical  flourishes,  but  every  word  and  sentence 
fell  with  the  precision  and  execution  of  a  well- 
directed  blow.  There  was  no  applause,  but  the 
deep  breathing  of  the  men,  the  convulsive  clench- 
ing of  hands,  and  indignant  shrugs  of  broad 
shoulders  plainly  told  the  effect  the  address  was 
having.  He  said  in  substance  : 

"Brothers  of  the  Strong  Arm:    As  you  have  heard,  I  am  of 
the  Springfield  division.     There,  as  here  ;  there,  as  throughout 


THE    CHICAGO    RIOT.  25 

the  west,  east,  and  south,  the  selfishness,  the  greed,  the  injus- 
tice of  men  have  driven  those  who  labor  to  organization  and 
combination  for  self-defense.  There,  as  everywhere,  those 
who  earn  their  bread  by  the  sweat  of  their  brows  are  compelled 
to  meet  by  stealth,  to  bind  each  other  to  secrecy  by  the  most 
terrible  of  oaths,  to  devise  methcds,  to  secure  means,  and  to 
concert  actions  for  protection  against  a  common  foe.  That 
common  foe  seeks  to  wrest  the  tools  from  our  hands  and  de- 
prive our  wives  and  little  ones  of  bread.  It  is  the  wealth  and 
power  which  bears  on  every  dollar  and  every  grain  the  impress 
of  our  own  hard  toil. 

"  Thirty  years  ago  William  N.  Whitely  was  the  proprietor  of 
small  machine  works  in  Springfield,  Ohio.  He  was  involved  and 
embarrassed  to  an  extent  that  threatened  bankruptcy.  Myself 
and  two  others  were  his  principal  machinists.  He  came  to  us 
and  asked  us  if  we  would  work  on  without  our  wages  being 
paid  until  times  improved.  He  was  negotiating  for  a  loan  of 
$2,500  upon  his  property,  and  if  that  could  be  obtained  he 
could  pay  some  debts,  buy  some  stock  and  machinery,  and 
weather  it  out.  If  we  would  stand  by  him  he  could  get 
through.  We  did  so  and  he  got  through  the  bad  time.  We 
staid  with  him  and  saw  his  business  grow  and  increase  from 
the  $2,500  invested  to  a  gigantic  manufacturing  concern  which 
turns  out  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  property  each  year. 
From  the  half  dozen  laborers  of  that  time  the  help  has  in- 
creased until  thousands  are  now  employed.  The  income 
of  William  N.  Whitely  has  increased  from  nothing 
thirty  years  ago  to  $350,000  a  year.  He  was  en- 
riched over  a  thousandfold,  while  we  were  allowed  only 
our  bread  and  shelter  and  clothing.  It  has  now  become  a 
branch  of  political  economy  to  figure  to  a  penny  what  a  work- 
ingman  can  live  on  and  yet  be  able  to  work.  A  few  years  ago 
he  reduced  the  wages  of  his  employes  because  his  immense 


26  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

profits  slightly  fell  off.  Grand  houses,  fast  horses,  diamonds, 
silks,  trips  to  Europe  and  snap  investments  must  be  kept  up, 
but  the  poor  devils  who  toil,  sweat  and  moan  in  their  serfdom 
must  bear  its  brunt  Wages  have  been  cut  and  cut  until  it  is 
impossible  to  live  at  the  wages  paid.  - 

"  The  conflict  is  on  between  the  Knights  of  Labor  on  the 
one  side  and  capital  and  the  governments  of  the  state  and  na- 
tion on  the  other  ;  for  capitalists  make  legislatures  as  well  as 
laws.  If,  in  this  struggle,  capital  is  triumphant,  as  it  has  ever 
been,  then,  brothers  of  the  strong  arm,  we  will  avenge  the  wrongs 
they  cannot  redress.  That  is  the  object  of  our  organization. 

"  The  days  proceeding  the  French  revolution  are  now 
being  experienced.  The  wails  of  the  hungry,  the  groans  of 
the  sick,  the  moans  of  the  dying,  go  up  to  heaven  from  every 
part  of.  this  broad  land.  Do  those  fearful  sounds  awaken  sym- 
pathy in  the  breasts  of  those  who  have  the  power  to  relieve 
want  ?  Let  the  neighing  of  Mrs.  Westinghouse's  horses,  which 
are  shod  with  silver  and  rest  on  Brussels  carpet,  answer  the 
question!  Let  the  barking  of  Mrs.  Potter's  $7,000  poodle 
dog,  whose  blanket  cost  $700,  answer!  Let  the  New  York 
woman  who  wears  to  parties  $1,000,000  worth  of  diamonds 
answer  the  question!  Let  the  fool  who  paid  $18,000  for  the 
Morgan  peachblow  vase  answer!  Let  the  great  man  of  Roches- 
ter who  spends  $50,000  yearly  on  butterflies  answer!  Let  Rose 
Elizabeth  Cleveland,  who  wears  fifteen  new  dresses  each  week, 
each  one  of  which  costs  more  than  would  keep  a  laboring 
man's  family  in  comfort  a  whole  year,  answer!  Let  the  law- 
makers of  Congress,  who,  at  an  expense  of  $5,000  of  the  peo- 
ple's money,  passed  a  law  relieving  Mrs.  Grant  from  the  pay- 
ment of  $90  duty  on  an  imported  picture — on  the  same  day,  too, 
on  which  Webster  &  Co.  gave  her  a  check  for  $200,000  as 
royalty  on  her  husband's  book — answer! 

**  #          *  *  #  *  *          * 


THE    CHICAGO    RIOT.  27 

"  Brothers  of  the  strong  arm!  Is  God  hardening  the  hearts 
and  clouding  the  intellects  of  these  fools  that  destruction  may 
come  swift  and  sure?  Oh,  I  pray  that  he  may  put  it  into 
their  hearts  to  heed  the  mutterings  of  the  coming  storm;  that 
capitalists  may  share  their  profits  with  those  whose  brain  and 
bra\vn  have  made  that  capital  what  it  is;  that  the  selfishness  of 
riches  may  become  transformed  into  a  human  generosity,  and 
the  impending  danger  be  averted.  If  prayers  and  tears  do  not 
avail  we  must  be  prepared  for  the  worst. 

"At  the  close  of  the  address  the  president  said 
experiments  would  be. tried  wifh  a  pocket  torpedo, 
for  a  supply  of  which  the  committee  was  negotiat- 
ing. A  dummy  figure  dressed  in  police  uniform 
and  carrying  a  club  was  taken  from  a  closet  and 
placed  in  a  corner  of  the  room.  The  dummy  was 
packed  with  sawdust.  The  crowd  moved  to  the 
farthest  corner  from  the  effigy.  A  torpedo  about 
the  size  of  a  marble  was  handed  to  the  president. 
With  a  quick  movement  he  threw  it  at  the  figure, 
striking  it  midway.  A  puff  of  smoke,  a  smoth- 
ered report,  and  bits  of  blue  clqjh,  brass  buttons, 
and  sawdust  were  scattered  over  the  room. 

"  In  the  confusion  that  succeeded  the  bandage 
was  reapplied  to  my  eyes  and  I  was  led  to  a  cab, 
which  left  me  at  my  hotel  at  3:50  o'clock  in  the 
morning." 

When  the  band  of  prospective  murderers 
could  no  longer  gather  strength  by  public  drilling 
they  resorted  to  dynamite.  The  utmost  caution 


28  THE    CHICAGO   RIOT. 

and  secrecy  was  enjoined  and  observed  by  all.     At 
the  time  of  their  last  blow  their  organization  was    - 

divided  into  clubs  of  two  men  each.     Beyond  this    - 

i  ^  J  -  l 

they   knew    nothing  ^ of   each  other,   thus    insuring 

themselves   against   betrayal.      A   had   a  compact 
with  B,  B  with  C,  C  with  D;  etc.     Each  man  com-     •.. 
municated  with  but  one  person  at  a  time  ^nd  was 
safe  in  the  secret  plotting. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1885  the  band  began  ex-" 
cursions  into  the  country  for  practice  in  throwing 
and  firing,  bombs.  Such  a  trip  meanjt  a  hard  day's 
work.  When  they  went  into  camp,  as  the  selection 
of  a  practice  ground  was  termed,  outposts  were 
placed  to  give  alarm  of  approaching  intrusion. 
Many  of  them  became  sufficiently  expert,  to  hurl  a 
bomb  fifty  paces.  On  one'occasion  in  the  summer 
of  1885  one  of  the  leaders  took  his  followers  to  a  re- 
tired spot  on  the  lake  shore  and  delivered  a. lect- 
ure on  explosives.  He  then  placed  a  .heavy 
"street"  bomb  midway  between  four  trees  form-' 
ing  a  parallelogram  four  by  six  feet.  The  explo- 
sive utterly  demolished  the  trees.  The  Jimbs  were 
stripped  of  their  bark  and  the  trunks  were  shat- 
tered so  that  the  fragments  strewed  the  ground 
in  all  directions. 

They  possessed  themselves  of  perfect  plans  of 
the  underground  system  of  Chicago,  and  studied 
the  manner  in  which  the  housetops  at  various  street 


v     THE    CHICAGO   RIOT.  29 

i 

corners  could  xbe  reached.    -Locations  were  selected 
for  defense  and  congregation.     The  principal  ones 

.were  Market  street,  between  Madison  and  Ran- 
dolph streets,/ the  lake  front  park,  and  Hay- 
market  sqoare.  The  position  upon  which  they 
placed  most  reliance  in  point,  of  military  vantage 
was  the  first  location  named  above.  They  had 
planned  in  this  instance  three  principal  fortifications 
— Randolph,  Washington- and  Madison  streets.  At. 
their  backs  they  had  the  river  and  the  tunnel  for 
refuge  for  womfen 'and.  children.  They  regarded 

-this  as  the  .strdngest  position  in  the  city,  and  con- 
sidered rt  as  impregnable  if  guarded  by  determined 
men  with  bombs.  Great  reliance  was  placed  on  the 
work  Qf  the  men  assigned  to  the  housetops  in  street 
warfare.  It  was  expected  they  could  do  great 
execution  and  keep  out  of  the  way  of  -bullets  from 
the  street.  '  These  plans  of  warfare  were  discussed 
in  secret  meetings  and  were  made  the  subject  of 
many  maps  and  circulars  issued  from  the  Arbeiter 
/.cit nng  office'. 

_  They  were,  preparing  for  a  great  day  in  the  near 
future — for  a  day  when  no  leaders  would  be  needed ; 
when  every  man  would  know  and  see  his  duty. 

During  1884  and  1885  the  Anarchists  held 
frequent  riiass  meetings  on  the  lake  front  and  in 
Haymarket  square,  when  speeches  of  the  most 
incendiary  character  were  delivered  by  the  leaders. 


30  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

Public  demonstrations  were    frequently  made  and 
processions  boldly  marched  under  the  red  flag. 

On  the  night  of  April  28  the  new  Chicago  Board 
of  Trade  was  opened,  and  the  Anarchists  held  a 
meeting  on  Market  street.  On  that  occasion  Samuel 
Fielden  said:  "  The  black  flag  ought  to  be  unfurled 
when  a  Board  of  Trade  is  opened.  We  are  glad  to 
live  in  the  meanest  hovels;  we  are  glad  to  wear  the  . 
meanest  clothes;  we  are  glad  to  eat  the  meanest 
food,  while  these  thieves  and  robbers  sit  down  to  a 
banquet  that  costs  twenty  dollars  a  plate." 

A.  R.  Parsons  said:  "  A  new  board  of  thieves  is 
being  opened  to*-riight.  *  It  is  time  this  thing  is 
stopped.  These  "Vobbers  fatten  on  our  toil.  We 
must  bring  the  revolver  and  Winchester  rifle  to  our 
aid  and  learn  the  use  of  dynamite." 

They  marched  to  the  board  of  trade,  headed  by 
a  red  and  a  black  flag  carried  by  women.  They, 
were  met  at  every  approach  to  the  building  by 
solid  lines  of  police.  They  cursed  the  officers, 
and  one  shouted  this  prophecy:  "We'll  get  at  you 
fellows  yet;  we'll  be  prepared  for  you  next  time." 
The  crowd  cheered  a  red  flag  waving  from  the 
office  window  of  the  Arbeiter  Zeitung.  It  passed  the 
carriage  of  Mr.  L.  P.  Kadish,  and  one  shouted,  see1, 
ing  him:  "  He's  a  board  of  trade  man:  kill  him!  " 
Stones  were  thrown  through  the  carriage  windows, 
severely  injuring  Mrs.  Kadish. 


THE    CHICAGO    RIOT.  31 

Then  came  the  street  car  strike  of  July,  1885, 
and  in  .the  riot  which  ensued  the  Anarchistic 
element  came  to  the  surface,  as  it  always  had  when- 
ever there  was  a  chance  to  destroy  property  or  shed 
blood.  That  they  were  responsible  for  the  over- 
turning of  cars  and  resistance  to  the  police  one  of 
the  leaders  acknowledged  boastfully  in  a  meeting 
on  the  night  of  July  2.  It  was  on  the  occasion  of 
this  riot  that  Police  Captain  Bonfield,  than  whom  a 
braver  man  or  a  more  efficient  officer  does  not  live, 
drew  down  upon  him  the  curses  of  the  Anarchistic 
rabble  and  the  unjust  criticism  of  the  press.  He 
walked  alone  into  the  face  of  an  angry  mob  of  over 
.2,000  men  and  clubbed  a  man  who  had  thrown  a 
stone  at  the  police.  For  this  he  was  called  cow- 
ardly. His  order  to  "  shoot  every  man  who  throws 
a  stone,"  caused  harsh  comment  from  the  press. 
But  Bonfield  knew  his  duty  and  understood  the 
spirit  of  the  mob  better  than  the  general  public  or 
the  writers  *for  the  press,  as  subsequent  events 
showed.  From  that  moment  he  was  an  object  of 
special  hatred  to  the  followers  of  Spies  and  Paisons, 
and  a  price  was  set  upon  his  life. 

Then  the  long-uttered  threats  of  the  Anarchists 
began  to  take  a  more  practical  form.  In  January, 
1886,  an  infernal  machine  was  found  on  the  door- 
step of  the  residence  of  Judge  Lambert  Tree.  Who 


32  THE    CHICAGO   RIOT. 

placed  it  there  was  never  known.     From  its  nature 
its  purpose  was  evident. 

It  was  in  the  shape^of  a  laborer's  coffee-flask,  and 
was  lined  with  lead.  The  diameter  was  about  two 
inches  and  the  height  three  and  one-half  inches. 
From  the  top,  closed  by  a  thumb-screw,  protruded 
a  home-made  fuse  which  smelt  strongly  of  nitric 
acid.  It  was  of  good  workmanship  and  had  none 
of  the  appearance  of  a  commercial  article,  being 
highly  polished,  Irke  a  pocket-flask,  and  carefully 
finished  in  almost  indiscernible  seams.  When  ex- 
ploded it  made  a  considerable  hole  in  the  snow  and 
ice,  but  would  doubtless  have  made  a  considerably 
better  showing  for  its  appearance  under  more  favor- 
able circumstances.  Dynamite  and  all  other  high 
explosives  congeal  at  forty-two  degrees,  and  it  was 
much  colder  the  day  the  machine  was  exploded. 

In  a  few  days  another  was  discovered  in  the- 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  passenger  station. 
It  was  much  different  from  the  one  found  at  the 
Tree  residence. 

It  showed  no  appearance  of  cap  or  fuse ;  only  a 
protruding,  insulated  wire.  It  was  five  and  a  half 
inches  long  and  one  and  a  half  inches  in  diameter, 
and  had  the  same  screw  top — the  end  from  which 
the  wire  protruded — as  the  one  found  at  Judge 
Tree's.  The  body  of  the  package  was  of  tin  tubing. 
The  one  end  had  been  pressed  into  the  form  of  a 


AUGUST  SPIES. 


THE   CHICAGO    RIOT.  33 

screw-thread,  and  into  it  was  firmly  fixed  a  plug  of 
ordinary  cork,  sealed  hermetically  with  wax.  From 
the  cork  a  plate  of  zinc  as  wide  as  the  tube  extended 
a  half  inch.  It  was  left,  wrapped  in  a  dirty  piece 
of  cloth,  for  the  night  operator,  and  no  attention  was 

,  paid  to  it  until  the  Tree  sensation  came  out.  Then 
it  was  stupidly  sunk  in  the  Chicago  river  without 
an  intimation  as  to  its  probable  character  further 
than  suspicion. 

On  February  u,  1886,  came  the  strike  of  the 
employes  of  the  McCormick  Reaper  Works,  the 
agitation  and  excitement  which  it  caused  continu- 
ing until  April.  Most  of  the  metalworkers 
and  laborers  employed  there  were  German  and 

.Bohemian  Anarchists.  Mr.  McCormick  took  a 
firm  stand,  shut  down  his  works  and  locked  out 
the  strikers.  This  was  a  surprise  to  them. 
For  weeks  violent  meetings  were  frequently  held 
in  the  district  around  Eighteenth  street  and  Center 
avenue.  This  region  is  the  hotbed  of  anarchy  in 
Chicago.  McCormick,  the  police  and  the  law  were 
denounced  in  the  bitterest  terms  at  these  meet- 
ings, and  for  some  time  an  outbreak  was  imminent. 
It  was  smothered  only  by  the  presence  of  the 
police.  Mr.  McCormick  finally,  increased  wages 
according  to  the  demands  of  the  men,  but  pro- 
posed to  allow  non-union  men  to  work.  He 
opened  his  works  under  police  protection,  and 
3 


34  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

hundreds  of  non-union  men  went  to  work.  Fre- 
quent assaults  were  made  on  individual  workers  at 
the  factory,  but  no  general  riot  ensued.  Many 
strikers  were  arrested  and  fined. 

The  strikers  were  beaten.  Hundreds  of  them 
remained  idle  for  a  long  time,  and  as  idleness  and 
poverty  breeds  crime,  the  revolutionary  spirit 
strengthened  and  spread.  Their  hatred  of  the  law 
and  of  the  capitalists,  whom  they  styled  "  robbers," 
deepened,  and  the  mutterings  of  the  storm  which 
was  to  burst  were  neard.  About  this  time  the 
police,  while  looking  for  a  murderer,  turned  up  a 
dynamiter's  outfit.  In  the  room  of  Chris.  Kom'ens, 
at  231  West  Twentieth  street,  was  found  a  long- 
barreled  breech-loading  Springfield  rifle  and  twenty 
rounds  of  cartridges.  Under  the  bed  was  found  a 
quantity  of  lead  and  a  pot  or  ladle  in  which  to  melt 
it.  These  .suspicious  implements  caused  other 
rooms  to  be  overhauled.  In  Komen's  sleeping- 
room  an  old  trunk  was  dragged  out  of  a  dark 
corner  and  its  contents  examined. 

Beneath  a  lot  of  old  rags  were  four  hollow  lead 
balls  considerably  larger  than  a  base  ball.  Three 
of  the  balls  were  empty.  The  fourth  was  loaded  . 
and  a  hole  partly  bored  for  the  insertion  of  a  per- 
cussion cap.  The  balls  had  been  cast  in  a  mold  on 
the  principle  of  a  bullet  mold,  with  a  plaster  of  Paris 
ball  in  the  center  for  a  core.  The  lead  shell  was  from 


v  THE   CHICAGO   RtOt.  35 

a  quarter  to  three-eighths  of  an  inch  thick  and 
weighed  about  five  pounds.  After  casting  the  shell 
of  the  leaden  bomb  the  plaster  of  Paris  ball  inside 
was  gouged  out  as  far  as  possible  with  a  chisel. 
The  hollow  space  of  the  loaded  bomb  was  supposed 
Eb  be  filled  with  dynamite,  gun-cotton,  or  other 
violent  explosive.  The  opening  was  sealed  with 
lead  and  a  hole  bored  opposite  for  the  insertion 
of  the  percussion  cap.  Two  of  the  finished  but 
unloaded  balls  had  two  holes  in  them,  one  of  which 
was  made  with  a  screw  thread  so  that  the  instru- 
ment containing  the  cap  could  be  twisted  into 
the  ball  securely. 

With  the  bombs  was  found  a  piece  of  wrought- 
iron  pipe  six  inches  long  and  one  and  a  quarter  in 
diameter.  Both  ends  were  closed  with  hard-wood 
plugs,  from  one  of  which  projected  four  inches  of 
gutta-percha  fuse.  The  implement  was  supposed 
to  be  filled  with  an  explosive  similar  to  that  in  the 
bombs.  Ten  or  fifteen  feet  of  fuse  lay  beside  the 
bombs.  It  was  filled  with  powder  and  burned 
rapidly,  with  a  hissing,  sputtering  noise,  like  the 
fuse  of  a  fire-cracker.  In  fact,  the  iron-pipe  machine 
closely  resembled  a  giant  fire-cracker,  but  was 
somewhat  larger.  An  old,  rusty  <ieedle-fire  revolver 
of  a  French  pattern  and  a  box  of  large  percussion 
caps  completed  the  murderous  outfit. 

A   paper-bound    pamphlet,  with  saffron-colored 


36  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

cover,  and  printed  in  German,  instructed  the  owner 
how  to  make  the  bombs  and  other  implements  con- 
taining dynamite  and  other  explosives.  The  book 
told  in  detail  the  method  of  making  and  using 
poisons.  Its  author  is  Johann  Most. 

Komens  belonged  to  one  of  the  most  radical 
groups  of  German  Socialists  in  the  city.  It  was 
called  group  No.  3,  and  for  a  time  met  in  the  back 
room  of  a  saloon  at  519  Blue  Island  avenue. 
The  group  ordered  every  member  to  purchase  a 
navy  revolver  a  foot  and  a  half  long.  This  proceed- 
ing alarmed  the  gentle  Teuton  in  whose  place  they 
met,  and  he  notified  the  members  that  he  preferred 
that  they  mefet  elsewhere.  The  members  were  armed 
with  muskets  similar  to  that  found  in  Komen's 
house.  Each  gun  was  numbered  to  correspond 
with  that  of  the  person  who  owned  it  or  had  it 
in  his  possession.  Komen's  gun  was  number  400. 
Instructions  were  given  in  the  manufacture  and 
use  of  explosives.  The  bombs  were  to  be  thrown 
into  crowds,  or  the  ranks  of  police  or  militia,  from 
housetops,  or  wherever  convenient.  The  group 
numbered  over  a  hundred  active  members  who 
attended  the  meetings  at  the  Blue  Island  avenue 
saloon.  About  1885  the  society  divided  into  two 
sections  and  began  to  meet  elsewhere. 

At  last  came  the  many  strikes  in  nearly  all 
classes  of  industry  in  Chicago,  attending  the  move-_ 


THE    CHICAGO   RIOT.  37 

ment  of  the  working  people  on  the  ist  of  May  to 
establish  an  eight-hour  working  day.  We  will  not 
attempt  to  review  the  many  startling  incidents  of 
this  time.  But  for  the  fourth  time  in  the  history 
of  Chicago  the  Anarchists  and  Nihilists  found  the 
opportunity  to  mingle  their  diabolical  designs  with, 
and  hide  them  under  cover  of,  the  honorable  efforts 
of  honest  workingmen  to  better  their  condition. 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE    MEMORABLE    FOURTH    OF    MAY. 

On  Monday,  May  3,  came  the  first  forerunner  of 
the  slaughter  of  Haymarket  square.  The  shadow 
of  the  red  flag  fell  again  on  the  "black  road,"  and 
riot  and  bloodshed  ensued. 

The  "black  road"  is  that  part  of  Blue  Island 
avenue  which  extends  south,  from  its  turn  at  Ash- 
land avenue,  to  the  city  limits.  The  "black  road" 
is  so  called  because  some  years  ago  its  surface 
was  covered  with  the  refuse  from  the  gas  works. 
There  were  comparatively  few  houses  in  the  neigh- 
borhood at  that  time,  street  illumination  was 
unknown,  and  altogether  it  was  a  gloomy  and  un- 
inviting thoroughfare.  Now  it  is  remarkable 
chiefly  for  its  saloons  and  the  great  numbers  of 
little  children  that  at  all  h,ours  of  the  day  throng 
the  only  sidewalk  the  street  boasts.  East  of  Mc- 
Cormick's  factory  for  a  distance  of  perhaps  half  a 
mile  there  are  a  score  of  saloons,  one  grocery  store 
and  an  undertaker's  shop.  Such  welcome  placards 
as  "  Hot  Free  Lunch  All  Day  "  are  displayed  in 
many  of  these  resorts;  "  Doughnuts  and  Beer,  5 

38 


THE   CHICAGO    RIOT.  39 

Cents/'  invites  custom  in  another,  while  ar"  bus- 
iness" lunch  for  15  cents  is  the  drawing  card  at 
another  place. 

The  McCormick  factory  and  the  other  great 
industries  in  the  vicinity  employ  thousands  of  men, 
and  this  section  of  the  city  is  the  stronghold  of 
the  bloodthirsty  Socialistic  Poles  and  Bohemians. 

The  long  continued  and  unsuccessful  strike  of 
McCormick's  laborers  had  embittered  the  men  ta 
desperation  against  those  who  had  taken  their 
places.  Since  the  inception  of  that  strike  many 
of  them  had  spilled  the  blood  of  the  "  scabs"  on 
the  "black  road."  The  labor  agitation  accom- 
panying the  eight  hour  movement  was  fanning 
the  embers  of  their  hate  into  a  flame  which  burst 
forth  under  the  fiery  utterances  of  Spies  and 
Parsons  on  this  Monday  afternoon.  The  riot  was 
precipitated  by  a  mass  meeting  held  on  the  prairie 
in  the  vicinity  of  Blue  Island  avenue  and  Wood 
street.  It  was  attended  by  four  or  five  thousand  idle 
Bohemians,  Germans  and  Poles.  It  was  a  tur- 
bulent mob  from  the  moment  of  its  gathering,  and 
the  Socialistic  leaders  seized  the  opportunity  to 
fire  the  inflammable  material  with  incendiary 
speeches,  and  by  goading  on  the  men  to  acts  of 
violence  in  the  furtherance  of  what  they  called 
justice.  While  the  feelings  of  the  mob  were  at  a 
fever  heat  the  great  bell  in  the  McCormick  factory 


40  THE    CHICAGO   RIOT. 

struck  3  o'clock.  The  mob  looked  across  the 
prairie  and  listened.  A  moment  later  the  big 
gates  swung  slowly  open  and  the  van  of  the  long 
line  of  non-union  workingmen  filed  into  the  street. 
This  sight  to  the  mob  was  the  torch  to  the  tinder. 
They  saw  before  them  the  men  whom  the  speakers 
had  just  told  them  had  taken  the  bread  from  the 
mouths  of  their  children.  With  one  thought  they 
'seized  sticks,  stones  and  every  missile  handy,  and 
rushed  like  a  pack  of  wolves  toward  the  factory, 
yelling  "scab!"  "scab!"  The  employes  of  the 
works  saw  the  advancing  throng  and  rushed  back 
to  the  yards. 

Two  policemen  were  on  guara  duty  at  the  works, 
out  they  were  powerless  to  defend  the  gate  in  the 
face  of  such  a  storm.  In  a  moment  the  air  about 
them  was  filled  with  flying  stones  and  bullets,  for 
many  of  the  mob  were  armed  with  forty-four  caliber 
"  bulldog "  revolvers.  A  shot  from  one  of  these 
wounded  qne  of  the  officers  in  the  thigh.  He  fell 
and  was  dragged  inside  the  gate,  which  was  closed. 
The  assailants  surrounded  the  factory,  and  baffled 
by  the  closed  gates  and  high  walls  they  yelled, 
cursed,  fired  revolvers  and  threw  stones  through 
the  factory  windows.  Tiring  of  this,  however,  they 
had  begun  to  batter  down  the  gates  when  a  patrol 
wagon  load  of  police  from  the  Hinman  street 
Station  arrived.  Cowardly  at  heart,  and  many  of 


THE    CHICAGO    RIOT.  41 

them  "having  felt  the  weight  of  the  policeman's 
club,  the  great  mob  for  an  instant  recoiled  before 
the  handful  of  officers.  For  a  moment  only  the 
police  kept  the  mob  at  bay,  but  it  was  too  furious 
to  be  cowed.  After  a  moment  of  sullen  inactivity 
it  suddenly  attacked  the  police  with  a  shower  of 
stones.  The  answer  was  a  volley  of  revolver  shots 
from  the  police.  Many  of  the  mob  fell  wounded 
and  dead,  and  the  others  attacked  the  police  with 
renewed  fury.  The  officers  fought  bravely  against 
the  great  odds,  but  they  were  falling  one  by  one 
and  were  yielding  to  the  furious  assault  when 
another  detail  of  fifty  police  under  Captain  O'Don- 
nell  of  the  Twelfth  street  station,  came  dashing  up. 
Fifty  men  were  too  many  for  the  rioters  to  fight 
and  the  mob  fled  across  the  prairie  like  a  flock  of 
sheep,  followed  by  the  policemen's  bullets.  But 
few  of  the  dead  and  wounded  rioters  remained  on 
the  field.  They  had  been  carried  away  by  their 
friends.  The  police  searched  the  neighborhood  and 
found  about  a  dozen  wounded  men.  A  man  named 
Jyman  was  found  in  a  drug  store  dying  from  a 
wound  in  the  back  of  his  head.  Another  named 
Waddick,  shot  in  the  groin,  was  found  in  a  saloon. 
Another  named  Vogtik  was  found  dangerously 
wounded. 

The  police  force  had  by  this  time  been  increased 
to  175  men,  and  Chief  Ebersold  had  arrived.     The 


42  THE   CHICAGO    RIOT. 

men  were  drawn  up  in  line  and  cleared  the  vicinity 
of  rioters,  as  they  had  begun  to  again  mass  them- 
selves. 

The  Socialist,  Waddick,  was  placed  in  a  patrol 
wagon  and  taken  to  his  home,  escorted  by  five 
police.  On  the  way  the  officers  were  surprised  at 
a  street  corner  by  a  detachment  of  the  mob.  It 
surrounded  the  horses  in  a  moment.  The  officers 
were  assaulted  and  an  attempt  was  made  to  over- 
turn the  wagon.  Officer  Kayzer  drew  his  revolver 
and  fired.  A  man  fell  dead  in  the  arms  of  his  fel- 
lows. The  crowd  retreated  and  the  patrol  wagon 
dashed  on. 

Another  wagon  and  a  small  relay  of  police 
took  to  his  house  the  wounded  man,  Vogtik. 
They  were  followed  by  a  large  number  of  the  mob. 
The  wagon  stopped  a  short  distance  from  Vogtik's 
home.  Officer  Casey  assisted  the  wounded  man- 
into  his  house.  In  the  meantime  the  mob  had 
reached  the  spot.  When  the  officer  came  out 
of  the  house  he  faced  an  angry  horde  of  men. 
Cries  went  up  of  "  Let's  hang  the  copper!  "  "  Hang 
the  murderer! "  The  officer  was  seized.  "  Get  a 
rope!"  a  hundred  voices  cried. 

One  man  procured  a  clothes-line  from  a  neigh- 
boring yard  and  fastened  it  to  a  lamp-post.  The 
struggling  officer  was  dragged  toward  it.  The 
lamp-post  was  reached.  The  rope  was  seized  by 


THE   CHICAGO   RIOT.  43 

hands  eager  for  murder.  With  the  strength  of  a 
man  struggling  for  life  Casey  broke  from  his  cap- 
tors and  dashed  toward  the  patrol  wagon.  A  score 
of  pistol  balls  followed  him  at  short  range,  but 
miraculously  he  was  not  touched.  Breathless  he 
reached  the  wagon  and  leaped  in.  The  horses 
dashed  avyay  under  the  whip  and  left- the  howling 
mob  behind. 

Ten  of  the  rioters  were  subsequently  arrested 
and  locked  up. 

After  order  had  been  restored  the  McCormick 
employes  were  escorted  to  their  homes  by  the 
police.  As  the  long  line  of  workmen  and  officers 
filed  silently  down  the  "  black  road,"  the  fugitives 
left  their  hiding-places,  gathered  into  a  rabble  and 
followed  in  the  line  of  march,  shouting  "  scabs  !  " 
and  "  rats  !  "  and  hurling  stones.  Women  and 
girls  joined  in  the  general  abuse.  They  ran 
screaming  along  the  pavements,  where  the  men 
dared  not  go,  hurling  stones  at  the  police  and  ap- 
plying to  them  vile  epithets.  One  woman  Anally 
struck  an  officer  with  a  sharp-edged  stone.  The 
police  made  a  feigned  assault  on  the  pavements, 
and  the  women  were  driven  to  the  rear. 

When  quiet  had  settled  over  the  "  black  road," 
Mayor  Harrison  and  his  Kentucky  mare  appeared 
on  the  scene,  and  viewed  the  situation.  As  he 
cantered  about  he  was  viewed  curiously  by  the  re- 


44  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

assembling  crowd,  but  no  violence  was  offered  him. 
As  he  was  about  to  leave  the  scene  one  bold 
"tough  "  called  to  him  to  come  into  a  .saloon  and 
"set  "em  up  "  to  the  crowd.  "  Go  home  and  soak 
your  head  !  "  yelled  his  honor,  and  wheeling  his 
horse  he  galloped  away,  followed  by  jeers,  groans 
and  laughter. 

There  was  suffering  in  many  a  cot  along  the 
"  black  road "  that  night.  Many  low-browed 
Socialists  nursed  wounded  arms  or  lacerated  legs, 
and  muttered  curses  against  the  police.  And  be- 
fore they  slept,  with  the  call  of  their  leaders  for 
revenge  still  ringing  in  their  ears,  they  prayed 
to  their  God  for  vengeance  against  the  "blood- 
hounds of  the  law." 

But  their  passion  was  not  to  be  quieted  by  sleep. 
Their  leaders,  who  had  excited  them  to  the  enact- 
ment of  one  scene  of  blood,  were  busy  in  the  prep- 
aration of  the  master  stroke.  Even  while  his 
dupes,  at  his  bidding,  were  risking  their  lives  on 
the  "black  road"  in  a  blind  resistance  to  the  law, 
the  arch-conspirator  was  writing  that  which  will 
make  him  forever  infamous,  because  of  the  terrible 
obedience  to  his  commands. 

Within  three  hours  from  the  beginning  of  the 
riot  on  the  "black  road  "a  man,  mounted  on  a 
horse,  dashed  across  Randolph  street  bridge.  He 
carried  a  large  package  under  his  arm.  He  pulled 


THE    CHICAGO    RIOT.  45 

up  in  front  of  No.  54  West  Lake  street,  a  Socialistic 
headquarters,  and  threw  into  the  crowd  that  had 
gathered  there  to  hold  a  meeting  a  number  of  cir- 
culars, which  he  snatched  from  the  package.  Then 
he  rode  on,  distributing  the  circulars  at  the  various 
halls  in  the  west  and  northwest  sections  of  the  city 
ulirre  Socialistic  meetings  were  being  held.  The 
horseman  was  lost  to  view.  No  one  knew  him,  or 
where  he  went,  or  from  whence  he  came.  The  cir- 
cular is  as  follows  : 

"  Revenge  !  Workingmen,  to  arms  !  Your  mas- 
ters sent  out  their  bloodhounds,  the  police;  they 
killed  six  of  your  brothers  at  McCormick's  this 
afternoon.  They  killed  the  poor  wretches  because 
they,  like  you,  had  the  courage  to  disobey  the 
supreme  will  of  your  bosses.  They  killed  them 
because  they  dared  to  ask  for  the  shortening  of  the 
hours  of  toil.  They  killed  them  to  show  you, 
'free  American  citizens,'  that  you  must  be  satisfied 
and  contented  with  whatever  your  bosses  conde- 
scend to  allow  you,  or  you  will  get  killed! 

"You  have  for  years  endured  the  most  abject 
humiliations;  you  have  for  years  suffered  unmeas- 
urable  iniquities  ;  you  have  worked  yourselves  to 
death  ;  you  have  endured  the  pangs  of  want  and 
hunger;  your  children  you  have  sacrificed  to  the 
factory  lords  ;  in  short,  you  have  been  miserable 
and  obedient  slaves  all  these  years.  Why?  To 


4G  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

satisfy  the  insatiable  greed,  to  fill  the  coffers  of 
your  lazy,  thieving  masters.  When  you  ask  them 
now  to  lessen  the  burden  he  sends  his  bloodhounds 
out  to  shoot  you,  kill  you  ! 

"If  you  are  men,  if  you  are  the  sons  of  your 
grandsires  who  have  shed  their  blood  to  free  you, 
then  you  will  rise  in  your  might,  Hercules,  and 
destroy  the  hideous  monster  that  seeks  to  destroy 
you.  To  arms  !  we  call  you  ;  to  arms! 

"YOUR  BROTHERS." 

But  the  "  black  road  "  riot  and  the  ominous  cir- 
cular were  not  without  their  good  effect.  The  wolf 
had  shown  his  teeth,  and  the  protectors  of  law  took 
warning.  City  officials  and  business  men  of  all 
classes  counseled  together  and  with  the  mayor  and 
chief  of  police  that  night.  The  chief  and  his  cap- 
tains and  lieutenants  held  a  secret  meeting,  and 
plans  were  arranged  to  quickly  handle  the  force 
when  needed.  It  was  decided  to  adopt  vigorous 
measures  from  the  start  in  every  case  of  outbreak. 
At  the  meeting  many  officers  declared  that  the 
worst  had  not  yet  been  reached,  and  feared  the 
strength  of  the  police  in  dealing  with  the  great  riot 
which  they  prophesied. 

The  day  had  been  an  eventful  one  in  the  history 
of  labor  in  Chicago.  At  eight  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing 7,000  men,  employed  by  the  packing  houses, 
were  on  strike  at  the  stock  yards.  At  noon  all  of 


THE   CHICAGO    RIOT.  47 

them  had  returned  to  work.  Their  demand  for 
eight  hours'  work  and  ten  hours  pay  had  been 
granted.  All  the  freight  handlers  in  the  city  were 
on  a  strike  for  eight  hours,  and  they  were  joined  by 
the  switchmen. 

Tuesday,  May  4,  opened  with  great  agitation 
among  the  laboring  classes  of  Chicago.  The 
interest  developed  in  the  eight-hour  movement 
was  at  its  height,  and  that  movement  was  fast  ris- 
ing on  the  tide  of  success.  Thousands  of  women 
and  girls  caught  the  spirit  of  the  hour  and  struck 
boldly  for  the  short  day,  imitating  their  brothers 
in  parading  the  streets  with  banners  and  mottoes. 
The  employes  of  many  firms  in  the  suburb  of 
Lake  struck.  Four  thousand  men  went  out  of  the 
Pullman  car  shops  to  wait  for  the  eight-hour  day. 
From  all  over  the  country  came  reports  of  the  suc- 
cesses of  the  movement,  and  every  striking  body- 
was  encouraged  by  a  like  action  in  others.  The 
eight-hour  movement  was  on  the  eve  of  sweeping 
everything  before  it  in  Chicago,  but  it  received 
almost  a  deathblow  in  the  riot  of  the  night. 

The  excitement  of  the  day  was  heightened  by 
the  well-founded  fear  that  at  any  moment  the 
great  fields  of  lumber  in  the  southwest  portion  of 
the  city  would  be  fired  by  incendiary  strikers. 
Hundreds  of  special  officers  patrolled  this  district, 
and  the  fire  department  was  on  the  alert,  working 


48  THE   CHICAGO   RIOT. 

under  a  special  code  of  signals.  The  freight- 
handlers  were  turbulent  and  dangerously  strong. 
Despite  their  elaborate  preparations  the  railroad 
companies  were  unable  to  make  material  progress 
in  the  handling  of  freight. 

The  "black  road  "  and  its  tributary  region  was 
in  a  state  of  riot  all  the  afternoon,  and  as  the  bad 
blood  engendered  by  the  scenes  there  had  much 
to  do  with  the  culmination  of  the  last  frightful 
scene  at  night,  it  is  well  to  particularize. 

A  cow  may  have  kicked  over  the  lamp  which 
started  the  great  Chicago  fire  of  1871.  It  is  cer- 
tain that  a  yellow  dog  with  a  canful  of  pebbles 
tied  to  his  tail  started  the  riots  of  the  "black  road" 
district  on  May  4,  and  aided  largely  in  precipitat- 
ing the  great  Chicago  riot  of  1886.  Quiet  reigned 
over  the  black  road  in  the  morning,  but  nearing 
noon  the  handicapped  dog  above  mentioned  sped 
down  the  road  with  the,  usual  result  of  such  an 
incident.  Heads  popped  out  of  saloon  doors,  and 
a  chorus  of  yells  followed  the  dog.  In  a  moment 
rough-looking  men  and  women  thronged  the  board 
sidewalks,  excitedly  asking  each  other  the  occasion 
of  the  gathering.  The  men  glared  sullenly  at 
the  big  McCormick  factory,  and  then  moved  off 
toward  Center  avenue  and  Eighteenth  street,  a 
favorite  trysting  place  of  the  strikers  for  some 
weeks.  At  that  point  every  squad  of  men  rein- 


A.   R.  PARSONS. 


THE   CHICAGO    RIOT.  49 

forced  others,  as  if  by  common  understanding,  but 
all  on  account  of  the  dog.  The  men  perched  on 
fences  or  discussed  their  grievances  and  the  scenes 
of  the  previous  day  in  foreign  tongues.  The  crowd 
increased,  and  soon  it  was  telephoned  to  police 
headquarters  that  a  mob  of  7,000  men,  bent  on 
mischief,  was  moving  toward  the  south  side.  It 
was  suggested  to  Chief  Ebersold  to  call  on  the 
militia.  He  replied:  "The  police  can  quell  any 
trouble  I  anticipate."  In  half  an  hour  Colonel 
Knox,  of  the  First  Regiment,  received  an  unofficial 
order  to  prepare  for  a  call.  Colonel  Knox  ordered 
his  regiment  to  the  Jackson  Street  Armory.  He 
then  advised  General  Fitz-simmons  and  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Diehl  of  the  order.  Within  two  hours  four- 
fifths  of  the  command  assembled  and  were  in- 
spected. Then  General  Fitz-simmons  conferred 
with  Mayor  Harrison,  only  to  learn  that  the  police 
had  not  asked  for  military  assistance. 

Meantime  the  crowd  at  Eighteenth  street  and 
Center  avenue  was  lashing  itself  into  a  rage. 
Strangers  wearing  laundried  linen  took  warning 
from  the  shouts  of  the  mob  and  kept  away  from  its 
vicinity.  At  three  o'clock  a  meeting  was  organized. 
The  work  of  agitation  was  formally  inaugurated, 
but  the  agitators  quarreled  among  themselves  as  to 
the  best  method  of  avenging  the  blood  of  their 

brothers   spilled  the  day   before.     Detective   Mike 
4 


&0  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

Granger,  who  was  moving  in  the  crowd,  attempted 
to  arrest  a  man  with  a  revolver  in  his  pocket.  The 
Anarchist  cry  went  up,  and  Granger  and  his  five 
fellow-officers  were  surrounded  by  angry  thousands. 
The  officers  charged  and  were  met  with  a' volley  of 
bricks  and  bullets.  Granger  was  knocked  senseless 
and  another  officer  shot  in  the  hand.  The  mob 
howled  with  delight  and  renewed  the  assault.  The 
officers  held  their  ground  for  a  moment,  when  they 
were  fortunately  rescued  by  the  policemen  coming 
up.  They  charged,  and  the  crowd  scattered. 

Two  hours  later  it  gathered  again  at  the  same 
spot,  and  a  blow  was  struck  for  the  vital  principle 
of  Communistic  Anarchy — a  piece  of  private  prop- 
erty was  destroyed. 

There  is  a  small  hall  at  the  corner  of  Eighteenth 
street  and  Center  avenue.  It  had  been  a  hotbed  of 
Socialism.  In  the  same  building  was  a  drug  store, 
in  which  was  a  telephone.  The  mob  had  not  been 
assembled  long  when  it  attacked  two  men  suspected 
of  being  detectives.  One  escaped  after  a  long  run, 
during  which  he  was  twice  knocked  down  with 
stones.  The  other  was  shot  down,  but  was  saved 
from  being  beaten  to  death  by  a  squad  of  police 
hurrying  to  the  scene.  The  police  carried  the 
wounded  man  with  them,  and  scattering  the  crowd 
passed  on.  A  squad  of  Twelfth  street  police  now 
arrived.  The  mob  fired  a  volley  of  stones.  The 


THE   CHICAGO   RIOT.  51 

police  charged  through  the  flinty  hail,  and  again 
the  crowd  scattered.  One  officer  was  wounded. 
Again  the  crowd  assembled,  and  were  pressing  the 
4  officers  dangerously  when  another  detail  of  police 
came  over  the  viaduct  and  charged  the  mob  with 
revolvers  and  clubs  in  hand.  The  crowd  broke 
away  and  disappeared  up  alleys  and  through  door- 
ways like  prairie  dogs  into  their  burrows. 

Then  Captain  O'Donnell  visited  the  battle- 
ground. He  decided  to  telephone  for  help,  and 
used  the  instrument  in  the  drug  store.  No  sooner 
had  he  departed  than  an  angry  crowd  gathered  in 
front  of  the  drug  store.  It  was  cause  enough  to 
demolish  the  building  that  the  police  had  used  the 
telephone.  It  was  at  once  bombarded  with  stones. 
The  front  was  smashed  in,  and  hurtling  stones 
demolished  the  rows  of  bottles  on  the  shelves.  The 
frightened  proprietor  hastily  gathered  up  his  port- 
able valuables,  and  with  his  wife  and  children  fled. 
Still  the  rocky  fire  was  kept  up.  Women  and  girls 
urged  on  their  husbands  and  brothers  to  the  assault. 
Mothers  in  a  delicate  condition  stood  in  the  street, 
picking  up  rocks  and  handing  them  to  those  able  to 
throw  them.  Sweethearts  u  rged  on  their  lovers  to  the 
work  of  destruction.  The  mob  ransacked  the  room 
for  liquors  and  drank  poison  in  their  ignorance. 
Many  died  from  the  effects  of  poison,  and  for  days 
after  scores  of  men  in  the  neighborhood  were  sick. 


52  THE   CHICAGO   RIOT. 

A  police  patrol  box  on  the  corner  was  also 
demolished,  and  the  mob  chased  and  stoned  two 
newspaper  reporters,  who  barely  escaped  with  their 
lives.  One  of  these  telephoned  for  the  police,  but 
the  squad  which  came  to  the  scene  found  only  the 
ruins  of  the  patrol  box  and  the  gutted  drug  store. 

On  the  morning  of  this  day  the  Arbeiter  Zeltung, 
edited  by  August  Spies,  contained  the  following 
remarkable  editorial: 

"Blood  has  flowed.  It  had  to  be  and  it  was. 
Not  in  vain  has  Order  drilled  and  trained  its -blood- 
hounds. It  was  not  for  fun  that  the  militia  was 
practiced  in  street-fighting.  The  robbers,  who 
know  best  of  all  what  wretches  they  are,  who  pile 
up  their  money  through  the  misery  of  the  masses, 
who  make  a  trade  of  the  slow  murder  of  the 
families  of  workingmen,  are  the  last  ones  to  stop 
short  at  the  direct  shooting  down  of  workingmen. 
'Down  with  the  canaille  '  is  their  motto.  Is  it  not 
historically  proven  that  private  property  grows  out 
of  all  sorts  of  violence  ?  Are  these  capitalistic  rob- 
bers to  be  allowed  by  the  '  canaille  ' — by  the  work- 
ing classes — to  continue  their  bloody  orgies,  with 
honid  murders?  Never!  The  war  of  classes  is  at 
hand.  Yesterday  workingmen  were  shot  down  in 
front  of  McCormick's  factory  whose  blood  cries  out 
for  revenge.  Who  will  deny  that  the  tigers  who 
rule  us  are  greedy  for  the  blood  of  the  working- 


THE    CHICAGO    RIOT.  53 

man  ?  Many  sacrifices  have  been  offered  upon  the 
altars  of  the  Golden  Calf  amid  the  applauding  cries 
of  the  capitalistic  band  of  robbers.  One  need  only 
think  of  Cleveland,  New  York,  Brooklyn,  East  St. 
Louis,  Ft.  Worth,  Chicago,  and  many  other  places, 
to  realize  the  tactics  of  these  despoilers.  It  means: 
'Terrorize  our  working-cattle.' 

"  But  the  workingmen  are  not  sheep,  and  will 
reply  to  the  white  terror  with  the  red  terror.  Do 
you  know  what  that  means?  You  soon  will  know. 

"  Modesty  is  a  crime  on  the  part  of  working- 
men,  and  can  anything  be  more  modest  than  this 
eight-hour  demand?  It  was  asked  for  peacefully  a 
year  ago,  so  as  to  give  the  spoilsmen  a  chance  to 
reply  to  it.  The  answer  is:  '  Drilling  of  the  police 
and  milita,  regulations  of  the  workingmen  seeking 
to  introduce  the  eight-hour  system,  and  yesterday 
blood  flowed.'  This  is  the  way  in  which  these 
devils  answer  the  modest  prayer  of  their  slaves. 

"Sooner  death  than  life  in  misery.  If  working- 
men  are  to  be  shot  at,  let  us  answer  in  such  a  way 
that  the  robbers  will  not  soon  forget  it. 

"The  murderous  capitalistic  beasts  have  been 
made  drunk  by  the  smoking  blood  of  workingmen. 
The  tiger  is  crouching  for  a  spring;  its  eyes  glare 
murderously;  it  moves  its  tail  impatiently,  and  all 
its  muscles  are  tense.  Absolute  necessity  forces  iln- 
cry,  'To  arms!  To  arms!'  If  you  do  not  defend 


54  THE   CHICAGO    RIOT. 

yourselves,  you  will  be  torn  and  mutilated  by  the 
fangs  of  the  beast.  The  new  yoke  which  awaits 
you  in  case  of  a  cowardly  retreat  is  harder  and 
heavier  than  the  bitter  yoke  of  your  present  slavery. 

"  All  the  powers  opposed  to  labor  have  united. 
They  see  their  common  interest.  In  such  days  as 
these  all  else  must  be  subordinate  to  the  one 
thought :  How  can  these  wealthy  robbers  and  their 
hired  bands  of  murderers  be  made  harmless? 

"  The  papers  lie  when  they  say  that  the  work- 
ingmen  who  were  near  McCormick's  yesterday  shot 
first.  It  is  a  bold  and  shameless  lie  of  the  news- 
paper gang.  They  shot  among  the  workingmen 
without  a  word  of  warning,  and,  of  course,  the  lat- 
ter replied  to  the  fire.  Why  be  so  ceremonious 
with  the  'canaille'?  Had  they  been  not  men,  but 
sheep  or  cattle,  they  must  have  reflected  before 
shooting.  But  a  workingman  is  quickly  replaced. 
Yet  these  well-fed  fellows  there  boast  at  their 
costly  meals,  in  the  company  of  their  mistresses,  of 
the  splendid  working  of  Law  and  Order. 

"Shabbily-dressed  women  and  children  in  mis- 
erable huts  weep  for  husbands  and  fathers.  In  pal- 
aces they  still  fill  goblets  with  costly  wine,  and 
pledge  the  health  of  the  bloody  banditti  of  Order. 
Dry  your  tears,  ye  poor  and  suffering?  Take  heart, 
ye  slaves!  Rise  in  your  might  and  level  the  exist- 
ing robber  rule  with  the  dust. 


THE    CHICAGO    RIOT.  55 

"  The  heroes  of  the  club  yesterday  pounded 
brutally  with  their  cudgels  a  number  of  girls,  many 
of  whom  were  mere  children.  Whose  blood  does 
not  course  more  swiftly  through  his  veins  when  he 
hears  of  this  outrage?  Whoever  is  a  man  must 
show  it  to-day.  Men  to  the  front !" 

It  was  followed  in  the  afternoon  by  the  following 
dodger,  which  was  scattered  broadcast  through  the 
streets  of  the  city  : 

"ATTENTION  WORKINGMEN  !  Great  mass-meet- 
ing to-night,  at  7:30  o'clock,  at  the  Hay  market, 
Randolph  street,  between  Desplaines  and  Halsted. 
Good  speakers  will  be  present  to  denounce  the 
latest  atrocious  acts  of  the  police — the  shooting  of 
our  fellow-workmen  yesterday  afternoon. 

"THE  EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE." 

The  incendiary  editorial  of  the  Arbeiter  Zeitung, 
the  murderous  circular  distributed  by  the  myste- 
rious horseman,  and  the  widely  spread  call  for  the 
meeting  Tuesday  night,  had  an  unusual  effect. 
The  busy  city  had  for  months  laughed  goodnatur- 
edly  at,  or  regarded  with  careless  indifference,  the 
seemingly  wild  threats  and  insane  utterances  of 
the  Socialists.  But  the  experiences  of  the  past  few 
days  put  a  serious  import  into  their  utterances. 
Those  who  comprehended  the  feverish  spirit  of  the 
times,  and  understood  the  object  of  the  proposed 
meeting,  regarded  the  situation  with  apprehension. 


56  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

The  press  warned  the  people  to  stay  away  from 
Haymarket  square.  Many  confidently  anticipated 
riot  and  bloodshed,  but  none  foretold  the  terrible 
result,  and  none  dreamed  of,  and  few  at  this  day 
comprehend,  the  horrible  possibilities  of  that  night. 

It  is  claimed  by  the  imprisoned  Anarchists  and 
by  their  friends  at  freedom,  who  are  bold  enough 
to  speak,  that  the  explosion  in  Haymarket  square 
was  not  the  work  of  any  body  of  Socialists,  but  of 
an  insane  fanatic,  who  acted  on  his  own  responsi- 
bility. They  have  the  hardihood  to  intimate  that 
if  the  work  had  been  done  by  and  with  the  consent 
of  any  of  their  organized  bodies,  it  would  have  fall- 
en with  an  effect  that  would  have  annihilated  the 
police.  It  is  the  intention  of  what  follows  in  these 
pages  to  show  that  the  murder  of  Tuesday  night 
was  the  result  of  premeditated  and  carefully  laid 
plans  of  the  band  of  Communistic  Anarchists  who 
followed  the  leading  of  Spies,  Parsons  and  Fielden; 
and  also  that  the  throwing  of  the  bomb  was 
abortive,  and  not  premature  or  incidental. 

There  is  little  doubt,  and  proof  will  be  advanced 
in  the  courts  of  law  to  show,  that  on  the  night  of 
May  3  a  meeting  was  held  by  the  bomb-hurling 
brotherhood,  which  was  attended  by  all  the  leaders. 
The  meeting  lasted  late  in  the  night  and  was  of  a 
very  secret  nature — so  secret,  in  fact,  that  when  it 
broke  up  the  men  slipped  out  one  at  a  time  and 


THE   CHICAGO    RIOT.  57 

slunk  off  into  the  darkness,  so  that  they  would  not 
be  recognized. 

At  that  meeting  the  whole  thing  was  planned. 
It  was  there  decided  that  the  iron  was  hot  and  it 
was  time  to  strike.  The  majority  of  the  working- 
ing  men  in  the  large  shops  and  factories  were  out 
for  eight  hours,  the  people  were  excited  over  the 
labor  troubles,  and  the  police  had  become  offensive 
to  a  certain  class  by  their  speedy  termination  of 
the  riots  at  McCormick's.  The  meeting  on  the 
Haymarket  was  decided  on  as  the  best  place  for 
the  work  of  carnage  to  commence.  It  was  argued 
that  owing  to  the  excitement  the  police  would  at 
the  outset  attempt  to  disperse  the  gathering  and 
prevent  Socialistic  agitation.  Bombs  had  been 
prepared  months  before,  and  the  hotheaded  leaders 
argued  that  no  better  time  to  use  them  with  effect 
would  present  itself. 

A  vote  was  about  to  be  taken  to  see  who  should 
be  selected,  when,  as  an  easy  way  out  of  the  diffi- 
culty, it  was  decided  to  draw  tickets  from  a  hat. 
Those  who  were  to  speak  did  not  draw,  but  pre- 
pared the  ballots.  Those  men  who  drew  slips  with 
a  cross  marked  thereon  kept  their  own  counsel,  and 
no  one  spoke  as  to  who  were  to  do  the  work. 
From  fifteen  to  twenty  men  drew  the  fatal  tickets 
which  compelled  them  to  throw  bombs.  Just  who 
these  were  is,  of  course,  difficult  to  determine. 


58  THE   CHICAGO    RIOT. 

Tuesday  night  came,  warm  and  damp.  It  was 
dark  and  starless,  and  across  the  somber  sky  black 
clouds  scudded.  With  the  falling  darkness  came 
rugged  and  roughly  dressed  men  to  Haymarket 
square.  The  first  to  come  in  the  early  evening 
took  up  their  positions  on  the  four  corners  of  Ran- 
dolph and  Desplaines  streets.  These  were  working- 
men  and  nearly  all  foreigners.  They  appeared 
on  the  scene  singly,  or  in  small  groups,  and 
mingled  with  the  crowd.  By  eight  o'clock  a  thou- 
sand men  were  on  the  ground. 

Haymarket  square  is  formed  by  the  widening  of 
West  Randolph  street  and  extends  from  Desplaines 
street  on  the  east  to  Halsted  street  on  the  west,  a 
distance  of  two  blocks  ;  Union  street  crosses  it  in  the 
center.  The  square  is  one  hundred  feet  wide  from 
curb  to  curb.  Owing  to  its  convenient  width  this 
section  of  Randolph  street  is  a  favorite  spot  for  the 
holding  of  mass  meetings  and  open-air  demonstra- 
tions, and  for  the  forming  of  processions.  On  the 
occasion  of  meetings,  the  speakers  usually  address 
the  crowd  from  the  vicinity  of  the  center  of  the 
square.  Such  has  always  been  the  custom  at  the 
many  Socialistic  meetings  there,  until  the  night  of 
the  riot.  It  is  a  significant  fact  that  on  this  occasion 
a  new  location  was  selected. 

None  knew  better  than  Chief  Ebersold  and 
Inspector  Bonfield  the  work  which  the  police  might 


THE    CHICAGO    RIOT.  59 

be  called  upon  to  do  on  this  night.  Early  in  the 
evening  162  men,  the  flower  of  the  finest  police 
force  in  the  world,  assembled  at  the  Desplaines 
street  station,  which  stands  but  a  few  paces  south 
of  the  east  end  of  Haymarket  square.  They  were 
armed  with  the  extra-long  hickory  club  and  new 
revolvers  of  forty-eight  caliber.  They  were  under 
the  general  command  of  Inspector  Bonfield  and 
Captain  Ward,  and  under  the  immediate  command 
of  lieutenants  of  recognized  ability  and  long  service 
on  the  force. 

The  meeting  was  announced  for  eight  o'clock, 
but  long  after  that  hour  no  speakers  had  appeared. 
Where  were  Spies,  Parsons  and  Fielden  ?  Usually 
no  more  punctual  speakers  ever  addressed  audiences 
than  they.  What  important  business  had  they  to 
detain  them  for  an  hour  past  the  time  of  their 
appointment  on  this  night  ?  What  weighty  matter 
had  they  to  discuss  ?  What  plans  to  perfect  ? 

At  8:30  o'clock  Mayor  Harrison  appeared  at  the 
police  station  and  held  a  consultation  with  all  the 
officers.  The  writer  asked  the  mayor  if  he  would 
allow  the  meeting  to  be  held,  and  if,  in  view  of  the 
troubled  times,  he  did  not  think  it  best  to  disperse 
the  crowd  before  the  organization  of  the  meeting. 
The  mayor  replied: 

"  I  have  no  right  to  interfere  with  any  peaceable 
meeting  of  the  people.  They  have  as  much  right 


60  THE   CHICAGO   RIOT. 

to  hold  a  meeting  now  as  at  any  time,  and  so  long 
as  they  are  orderly  I  will  not  interfere.  Should  the 
crowd  become  troublesome  I  will  disperse  it." 

By  this  time  the  crowd  had  increased  in  size, 
and  there  were  perhaps  two  thousand  men  in  the 
square;  but  as  the  time  passed  by  those  who  had 
come  through  curiosity  went  away,  thinking  no 
meeting  would  be  held.  But  the  crowds  of  for- 
eigners on  the  corners  of  Randolph  and  Desplaines 
streets  did  not  diminish.  They  waited  patiently. 

It  was  a  strangely  silent  crowd.  There  were  no 
shouts  of  drunken  hilarity,  nor  curses  of  drunken 
anger.  It  was  a  sullen,  thoughtful  crowd.  A  great 
crime  was  about  to  be  committed,  and  the  thought 
of  its  commission  was  in  many  minds. 

Michael  Schwab  was  there — tall,  lank,  ill-formed, 
stooped,  his  slouch  hat  shading  his  sinister  face, 
covered  with  straggling  beard — he  glided  silently 
about  like  a  ghoul,  in  and  through  the  crowd,  and 
in  front  of  the  police  station,  peering  up  at  the  win- 
dows, crouching  along  the  wall,  and  dogging  the 
footsteps  of  Mayor  Harrison  when  he  appeared  on 
the  street. 

Nine  o'clock  came,  and  suddenly  the  crowds  of 
foreigners  began  moving  off  the  square  north  into 
Desplaines  street.  They  massed  just  without  the 
square,  and  in  Desplaines  street.  Six  or  eight  men 
mounted  a  wagon  that  stood  in  the  street  near  the 


£ 


CO 

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FACTORY 


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Drive-way 


Drive-way 


HAYMARKET  SQ.      ~          KAXDOLPH          ST. 


POLICE 
STATION 


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GQ 


MAP  OF  THE  SCENE  OF  THE  RIOT. 


THE   CHICAGO    RIOT.  61 

mouth  of  an  alley,  or  driveway.  The  foremost  of 
these  men  were  Spies,  Parsons  and  Fielden.  The 
speaking  began. 

As  remarked  a  moment  ago,  there  was  signifi- 
cance in  the  selection  of  this  spot  by  the  speakers 
from  whence  to  address  the  crowd. 

The  building  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Des- 
plaines  and  Randolph  streets  is  70  feet  deep  on 
Desplaines  street.  The  next  building  north  and  on 
Desplaines  street  is  a  factory,  and  between  the  fac- 
tory and  the  rear  of  the  corner  building  is  a  drive- 
way, or  alley,  10  feet  wide,  running  east.  It  inter- 
sects another  driveway  running  south  to  Randolph 
street,  and  north  to  courts  formed  by  the  factory 
buildings.  The  north  end  of  this  driveway  joins 
another  which  runs  east  to  Jefferson  street.  Fur- 
ther north  on  Desplaines  street,  and  on  the  east 
side  of  the  street  is  another  alley  running  east 
This  alley  cuts  the  block  about  two-thirds  of  the 
distance  between  Randolph  and  Lake  streets.  On 
the  west  side  of  the  street  an  alley  runs  west, 
through  the  middle  of  the  block,  to  Union  street. 
Here  were  excellent  avenues  of  escape,  in  case  of 
danger,  for  those  acquainted  with  the  locality.  The 
speakers'  wagon  stood  just  north  of  the  driveway, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  street.  Diagonally  across 
the  street  was  the  opening  of  the  alley  running 
west  to  Union  street.  In  case  of  necessity  the 


62  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

socialistic  brotherhood,  being  on  the  alert,  could 
escape  through  the  driveway  on  the  east  to  Ran- 
dolph street,  and  through  the  alley  on  the  west  to 
Union  street,  the  police  meantime  being  in  Des- 
plaines  street.  It  had  this  advantage  over  the 
usual  meeting  place  in  the  square — there  the  police 
could  approach  the  crowd  from  Desplaines,  Union 
or  Halsted  street,  as  might  chance,  and  the  bomb- 
throwers  would  be  in  uncertainty  as  to  where  to 
station  themselves.  There  would  be  no  other 
means  of  escape  than  within  range  of  the  police- 
men's revolvers,  up  and  down  Randolph  street. 
The  street  here  is  wide  and  the  police  could  sweep 
it  like  a  field  with  their  shots.  Their  lines  also 
would  be  spread  out  in  order  to  cover  the  greater 
space.  Their  forces  would  not  be  so  concentrated 
as  when  in  Desplaines  street,  and  a  bomb  kills  only 
at  short  range.  With  policemen  marching  in  form 
to  clear  a  street,  a  bomb  would  injure  fewer  of 
them  in  Haymarket  square  than  in  Desplaines 
street.  It  would  require  some  seconds  for  a  bomb- 
thrower  to  get  out  of  the  range  of  a  revolver  in 
Haymarket  square.  From  the  position  taken  in 
Desplaines  street  he  could  disappear  in  an  instant. 
Did  the  anarchistic  leaders  consider  this  when  they 
selected  this  unusual  position? 

About  fifteen  hundred  men  gathered  near  the 
speakers'  wagon,  the  socialistic  brotherhood  crowd- 


THE   CHICAGO    RIOT.          .  63 

ing  closely  around  it.  Four-fifths  of  the  crowd 
were  harmless  laborers,  who  came  to  listen,  not  to 
act.  August  Spies  spoke  first  in  English,  and  spoke 
but  a  few  minutes.  His  address  was  faltering.  He 
seemed  to  be  at  a  loss  for  his  usual  flow  of  language 
and  fiery  utterances.  His  address  was  unusually 
mild  and  cautious  in  its  tone,  as  were  those  of  the 
speakers  who  followed  him.  Why  was  this?  If 
they  ever  had  occasion  to  call  down  curses  upon 
the  police  and  pour  out  scorching  invectives  against 
the  employing  classes,  the  occasion  was  at  hand. 
They  were  capable  of  uttering  the  most  burning 
sentences,  as  former  speeches  testified.  Why  did 
they  not  do  so?  Were  they  impressed  with  the 
horror  of  the  deed  contemplated?  Did  they  not 
know  that  around  and  about  them  were  at  least 
twenty  bombs,  in  the  hands  of  desperate  men,  wait- 
ing for  the  appearance  of  the  police  ?  The  tone  of 
all  their  speeches  was  such  as  to  partially  exonerate 
them  in  a  court  of  law  should  they  ever  be  brought 

to  trial.     Did  this  occur  to  them  ? 

« 

Spies  told  of  the  attack  of  the  mob  on  the  Mc- 
Cormick  workmen,  and  characterized  as  "innocent 
amusement"  their  throwing  stones  through  the 
factory  windows.  "What  means  this  display  of 
gattling  guns,  canons,  bayonets,  patrol  wagons, 
and  clubs?"  he  asked.  "What  means  the  calling 
out  of  the  First  Regiment?  Is  it  as  an  entertain- 


64  THE   CHICAGO    RIOT. 

ment  for  you  gentlemen  ?  The  demand  of  the  Mc- 
Cormick  men  was  reasonable,  and  yet  McCormick 
denies  that  he  is  responsible  for  the  blood  shed  yes- 
terday. I  say  he  lies !  He  is  responsible  for  the 
death  of  our  brothers  !  Don't  make  useless  threats, 
my  friends,  but  when  you  are  ready  act.  There  are 
25,000  or  30,000  families  in  Chicago  suffering  starva- 
tion to-day  because  husbands  and  fathers  are  not 
men  enough  to  stand  up  for  their  rights." 

The  briefness  of  Spies's  speech  can  be  accounted 
for  on  the  supposition  that  he  expected  every 
moment  to  see  a  column  of  police  coming  down 
upon  him.  He  had  reason  to  believe  that  the 
moment  the  speaking  was  begun  the  police  would 
attempt  to  break  up  the  meeting,  and  he  felt  that 
he  would  avoid  responsibility  in  his  utterances. 

Parsons  spoke  next.  He  began  cautiously.  He, 
too,  was  expecting  the  police.  He  dealt  at  length 
with  labor  statistics,  and  expounded  that,  whereas 
the  laboring  man  produces  one  dollar  he  receives 
but  fifteen  cents  of  it.  In  the  earTy  part  of  his  speech 
he  said:  "I  am  a  Socialist,  from  head  to  foot,  and  I 
declare  it,  although  it  may  cost  me  my  life  before 
morning." 

What  did  he  mean  by  that?  What  was  in  his 
mind  to  cause  that  utterance  ?  He  had  never  before 
said  this  in  a  public  speech.  Did  he  hear  the  roar 
of  the  bomb  and  feel  the  policeman's  bullet  ? 


MICHAEL  SCHWAB. 


THE   CHICAGO   RIOT.  65 

He  spoke  at  great  length,  as  if  killing  time. 
But  the  police  did  not  come.  He  grew  bolder  as 
he  proceeded,  and  warmed  up  to  something  like 
his  old-time  heat.  At  one  point  he  said: 

"  We  speak  harshly  of  the  scabs,  but  I  tell  you 
that  when  a  man  has  been  out  of  work  for  six  or 
twelve  months,  and  has  tramped  about  the  country 
looking  for  a  job,  and  been  sent  to  the  rock-pile  as 
a  vagrant,  he  is  going  to  take  the  first  job  that  is 
offered  him  whether,  it  is  to  fill  a  striker's  place  or 
not.  There  is  not  a  man  in  this  crowd  but  who 
would  do  the  same.  What  is  a  scab?  He  is  a  flea 
on  a  dog.  Now  the  trade  unionist  wants  to  kill 
the  scab  or  flea,  while  the  socialist  wants  to  kill 
the  dog  itself  and  prevent  fleas."  He  closed  by  an 
appeal  to  arms  from  all  men  who  loved  their  wives 
and  children. 

The  quoted  utterances  may  seem  revolutionary 
to  the  reader  who  is  unacquainted  with  the  men, 
but,  compared  with  the  tirades  which  they  had  ut- 
tered scores  of  times  before,  they  are  as  the  cooing 
of  a  dove  to  the  scream  of  an  eagle. 

But  there  was  no  great  necessity  of  inflamma- 
tory speeches  on  this  night.  Their  plans  were 
made.  Their  labor  was  about  to  bear  fruit. 

The  tiger  was  crouching  in  wait  for  his  victim, 
and  purred  instead  of  roared.  Fielden  was  the  last 
6 


66  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

speaker,  and  addressed  the  crowd  but  a  short  time. 
The  extent  of  his  inflammatory  talk  was  this: 

"  We  who  come  here  to  address  you  are  So- 
cialists; rebels  to  the  law.  Legislation  will  never 
help  you,  never!  Martin  Foran  went  to  congress  in 
the  interest  of  labor,  and  yet  he  tells  you  that  no 
legislation  can  be  had  for  the  workingman.  Can't 
we  ?  When  the  rich  man  understands  that  it  is  not 
healthy  to  live  among  a  lot  of  discontented  work- 
men we  shall  be  able  to  get  legislation  and  not  be- 
fore." 

It  was  nearly  ten  o'clock  when  he  began  to 
speak.  Many  of  the  crowd  had  gone  away.  The 
police  had  made  no  move.  The  crowd  was  grow- 
ing restless  and  was  melting  away.  The  bunch  of 
Socialists  about  the  wagon  were  becoming  angry 
and  noisy.  When  the  name  of  any  wealthy  Chi- 
cago employer  was  mentioned  by  the  speakers, 
voices  near  the  wagon  would  shout,  "Hang  him!" 
"Put  him  in  the  lake!"  These  cries  would  be 
received  with  laughter  from  the  outskirts  of  the 
crowd. 

Before  Fielden  had  spoken  many  minutes  there 
suddenly  came  from  the  north  an  icy  wind,  like  that 
which  strikes  the  face  by  the  opening  of  an  ice 
chest  on  a  summer  day.  With  it  came  rolling  rap- 
idly up  a  huge  black  cloud,  which  threatened  to 
burst  into  a  storm.  The  crowd  made  a  movement 


THE   CHICAGO    RIOT.  67 

as  if  to  depart.  Spies  shouted:  "We  will  adjourn 
this  meeting  to  54  West  Lake  street. 

Many  of  the  crowd  hurried  away  toward  the 
appointed  place.  The  speakers  were  leaving  the 
wagon  when  something  arrested  them.  Had  some- 
one given  the  signal  that  the  police  were  coming? 
Fielden  cried:  "Stop!  I  have  only  a  few  words  to 
say.  We  will  finish  the  meeting  here." 

At  this  moment  the  symmetrical  lines  of  the 
body  of  police  appeared  in  front  of  the  police 
station,  and  moved  towards  the  crowd.  It  was 
fifteen  minutes  past  10  o'clock.  Fielden  continued 
to  speak  rapidly  and  excitedly.  The  crowd  was 
motionless.  The  police  came  on,  headed  by  In- 
spector Bonfield  and  Captain  Ward,  walking  some 
feet  in  advance  of  the  first  column.  Lieut.  Steele 
followed,  commanding  the  first  company  of  fifty 
men,  in  a  double  column,  so  formed  as  to  sweep 
the  street  from  pavement  to  pavement.  Then 
came  Lieut.  Bowler  with  twenty-four  men;  Lieut. 
Stanton,  with  eighteen  men;  Lieut.  Hubbard,  with 
twenty-six  men — a  company  of  giants;  Lieut. 
Beard,  with  twenty  men,  and  Lieut.  Penzen,  with 
twenty-four  men.  All  of  these  companies  were  in 
double  columns. 

The  police  marched  into  the  crowd,  sweeping  it 
to  the  pavements  on  Desplaines  street,  and  forcing 
it  beyond  the  mouth  of  the  driveway  on  the  east. 


68  THE   CHICAGO    RIOT. 

That  portion  of  the  crowd  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
speakers'  wagon  filled  the  mouth  of  the  driveway 
and  swept  back  on  the  pavement  toward  Randolph 
street.  It  was  in  this  locality  that  the  bomb- 
thrower  stood. 

The  police  advanced  until  the  first  column  was 
on  a  line  with  the  speakers'  wagon,  it  being  then 
beyond  the  driveway.  Inspector  Bonfield  cried 
"  Halt  !  " 

Up  to  this  time  Fielden  continued  to  speak.  At 
the  cry  of  "  halt"  he  stopped  speaking. 

Captain  Ward  said,  in  a  ringing  tone,  "  In  the 
name  of  the  people  of  the  State  of  Illinois  I  com- 
mand you  to  disperse." 

For  an  instant  there  was  a  hush   as  of   death. 
The  crowd  waited  ;  the  police  stood  erect  and  rigid,' 
their  clubs  in  the  holders,  their  hands  by  their  sides. 
They  made  no  move. 

When  the  police  made  their  appearance  in  front 
pi  the  station,  the  writer  had  gone  to  meet  them, 
and  noted  their  strength  and  form.  I  then  ran 
ahead  of  the  police  and  mounted  an  iron  stairway, 
on  the  outside  of  the  building  on  the  north-west 
corner  of  Desplaines  and  Randolph  streets,  which 
position  I  had  occupied  during  the  progress  of  the 
meeting.  From  here  I  could  see  the  crowd,  the 
police,  and  their  every  movement. 

As  the  last  words  left  the  lips  of  Captain  Ward 


THE    CHICAGO    RIOT.  69 

there  arched  through  the  air  a  sputtering  spark  of 
fire,  which  fell  in  the  street,  in  the  midst  of  the 
police.  It  was  the  burning  fuse  of  a  "  Czar  "  bomb! 
It  came  from  the  pavement  on  the  west  side  of  the 
street.  It  followed  a  north-westerly  course,  passing 
over  the  third  column  of  police  and  falling  just 
in  front  of  it.  He  who  threw  it  must  have  stood 
nearly  midway  between  the  driveway  and  Randolph 
street,  or  fifteen  paces  from  either. 

I  had  for  two  years  followed,  more  or  less  closely, 
the  work  of  Spies  and  his  followers.  I  was  acquainted 
with  their  methods,  which  had  so  far  seemed  but 
visionary ;  and  when  I  saw  that  sputtering  fire 
arching  through  the  air,  I  divined  what  it  was.  I 
comprehended  the  deadly  force  which  lay  at  the 
end  of  that  rapidly  burning  fuse,  and  I  involuntarily 
exclaimed  "  Great  God  ! "  Then  I  waited  with 
bated  breath. 

I  had  not  long  to  wait.  The  fuse  had  been  cut 
by  a  skillful  hand  and  the  bomb  burst  as  it  touched 
the  ground. 

It  burst  with  a  deep,  sullen,  prolonged  roar,  more 
deafening  than  summer  thunder.  No  fire  came  from 
it,  and  the  cloud  of  smoke  spread  close  to  the  earth. 

I  saw  the  second  and  third  companies  of  police, 
under  Lieutenants  Bowler  and  Stanton,  fall  to  the 
ground  as  one  man.  Aft  instant  later  all  was  con- 
fusion. 


70  THE   CHICAGO    RIOT. 

There  came  the  rattling  reports  of  revolver  shots 
from  both  sides  of  the  street,  and  the  smoke  shut 
out  my  vision.  These  shots  were  fired  from  the 
crowd  into  the  police.  For  the  moment  the  officers 
were  demoralized.  Then  came  the  cry  from  some 
one — "  Charge  !  "  The  police  had  rallied,  and  shots 
came  like  the  falling  of  corn  on  a  tin  pan,  or  the 
roll  of  a  drum. 

The  thought  came  to  me  that  the  police  would 
fire  high,  as  they  had  so  often  done  when  dispsrs- 
ing  crowds.  I  thought  my  position  dangerous,  and 
foolishly  rushed  down  to  the  street.  I  had  much 
better  remained  where  I  was. 

There  was  a  furious  and  indescribable  scramble 
for  life  around  the  corner,  and  at  the  instant  I 
reached  the  bottom  of  the  stairs  the  police  were 
directing  their  fire  at  this  corner.  I  sprang  into  the 
crowd,  thinking  to  gain  a  wide  doorway  just  around 
the  corner,  on  Randolph  street.  At  the  first  step  a 
man  in  front  of  me  was  shot.  I  fell  over  him.  At 
the  same  instant  a  man  behind  me  was  shot.  He 
fell  on  my  shoulders  and  head.  For  a  moment  I 
was  unable  to  rise.  The  rushing  crowd  trampled 
my  legs  and  back.  I  was  probably  not  down  to  ex- 
ceed two  or  three  seconds.  I  rose  with  an  effort 
and  sprang  for  the  doorway.  A  policeman  struck 
me  with  a  club  across  the  Breast  and  staggered  me 
back.  The  blow  was  not  painful,  but  felt  like  the 


THE   CHICAGO   RIOT.  71 

blow  of  a  man's  fist.  Two  men  who  were  in  the 
doorway  were  seized  by  officers  and  dragged  to  the 
pavement.  The  clubs  smashed  into  their  faces  and 
on  their  heads  for  a  moment,  and  they  fell  into  the 
gutter.  I  stood  still,  my  back  to  the  wall,  facing 
the  police,  holding  my  hat  in  my  hand.  The  bul- 
lets buzzed  like  bees,  and  the  clubs  cracked  on 
human  skulls  as  if  a  bout  with  shortsticks  was  in 
progress.  I  was  acquainted  with  every  officer,  and 
I  hoped  they  would  know  my  face — white  enough, 
probably,  to  show  well  in  the  darkness.  I  expected 
every  instant  to  feel  a  bullet  in  my  flesh;  but  I 
dared  not  run — I  would  have  been  beaten  to  death 
by  my  friends  before  they  would  have  recognized 
me. 

Detective  "  Sandy "  Hanley  stood  in  the  street, 
near  me.  I  started  toward  him  for  protection.  He 
caught  a  sidelong  glance  of  me,  drew  his  revolver 
on  me  and  fired.  As  the  muzzle  came  down  I 
threw  up  my  hand  and  yelled  "Sandy!"  He 
dropped  his  hand  in  time  to  fire  the  bullet  into  the 
cedar  blocks  at  my  feet.  How  many  men  at  a  time 
like  that  could  have  acted  so  quickly  as  this  cool 
man! 

Bailiff  Kelly,  of  the  Desplaines  street  police 
court,  has  since  told  me  how  nearly  he  came  to  kill- 
ing me.  He  said:  "I  stood  a  few  paces  to  your 
right,  and  when  I  first  saw  you  standing  there  I 


72  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

didn't  know  you.  I  drew  aim  on  you,  and  was 
about  to  fire,  when  I  thought — 'Why,  d — it!  he 
stands  there  as  if  he  had  a  right  to,'  and  so  I  didn't 
shoot.  I  popped  away  at  another  man,  scooting 
across  the  square,  and  fetched  him,  too,  and  then  I 
saw  you  again  and  I  thought  I'd  take  a  crack  at  you 
anyway.  I  had  just  drawn  on  you,  when  an  officer 
struck  up  my  gun,  saying  'That's  a  reporter.'  'J 

The  rapid  shooting  ceased  within  a  minute  after 
the  explosion  of  the  bomb.  The  officers  had  emp- 
tied their  revolvers  and  were  reloading.  The  mass 
of  the  crowd  had  disappeared,  but  the  doorways, 
area-ways  and  coal  cellars  in  the  vicinity  were  full 
of  men.  As  they  rushed  forth  after  the  first  sharp 
firing  to  seek  safety  in  flight,  scores  of  them  were 
clubbed  to  the  ground  and  left  lying  there. 

One  man  left  a  hiding  place  near  me  and  started 
across  the  street.  He  ran  past  Officer  Hanley,  who 
had  no  club  and  had  emptied  his  revolver. 
"  Sandy  "  struck  him  a  blow  on  the  head  with  his 
fist.  The  man  threw  up  his  hands  and  plunged  for- 
ward, almost  against  a  policeman.  That  officer 
struck  him  a  sounding  thwack  on  the  side  of  the 
head  with  his  club.  The  man  gave  another  plunge 
toward  another  officer,  who  struck  him  a  blow  on 
the  back  of  his  neck  that  dropped  him  on  the 
ground  like  a  bundle  of  rags.  He  did  not  rise. 

I  moved  toward  the  corner  to  look  at  the  scene 


THE   CHICAGO    RIOT.  73 

of  the  explosion.  I  bent  over  a  man  who  was  shot 
in  the  body,  and  who  moaned  for  help.  I  felt  a 
strong  hand  seize  me  by  the  collar  and  saw  a  club 
raised  in  the  air.  I  wheeled  and  yelled  "  Reporter!  " 
The  officer  recognized  me.  "Is  it  you,  me  boy?" 
he  cried.  "What  the  devil  are  ye  doin'  here?" — 
and  he  dashed  after  a  man  who  had  jumped  from 
under  the  iron  stairway. 

I  will  not  attempt  to  tell  to  how  many  officers  I 
introduced  myself  within  the  next  two  minutes,  or 
describe  the  frantic  and  unsuccessful  efforts  I  made 
to  get  my  reporter's  star  from  my  suspender  to  the 
lapel  of  my  coat. 

In  five  minutes  after  the  explosion  of  the  bomb' 
the  riot  was  at  an  end.  The  first  Nihilist  bomb 
ever  thrown  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  had  .done  its 
bloody  work.  The  followers  of  the  red  flag  had 
struck  their  first  blow  in  Chicago,  and  it  has  torn 
down  their  emblem  forever. 

The  explosion  of  the  bomb  and  the  first  volley 
of  the  crowd  killed  one  officer  instantly,  mortally 
wounded  four  and  seriously  injured  sixty-one. 
How  many  in  the  crowd  were  killed  and  wounded 
is  a  matter  of  conjecture  only.  From  repojts  re- 
ceived within  a  week  after  the  riot,  the  number  is 
not  far  short  of  two  hundred. 

After  the  firing  had  ceased  one  citizen  was  found 
dead  in  the  street.  After  the  first  sharp  volley  the 


74  THE   CHICAGO    RIOT. 

writer  saw  above  one  hundred  men  unable  to  rise, 
within  a  radius  of  fifty  yards  of  the  scene  of  the 
explosion.  Nearly  every  crippled  officer  was 
wounded  in  the  legs.  The  mob  had  fired  low, 
so  as  not  to  wound  each  other  on  either  side  of  the 
street. 

The  center  of  the  street  seemed  full  of  writhing, 
groaning  men,  calling  for  help.  Under  the  iron 
stairway  on  the  northwest  corner  of  the  street  two 
citizens  lay,  one  insensible,  the  other  moaning  feebly 
and  unable  to  rise.  Down  the  basement  stairway, 
under  them,  three  men  lay.  Propped  against  the 
lamp-post  on  the  corner  was  a  wounded  man,  and 
at  his  feet,  in  the  gutter,  another.  Across  the  street, 
on  the  northeast  corner,  three  men  lay  in  the  gutter. 
At  the  head  of  the  basement  stairway  one  lay 
silently.  Another  sat  up,  holding  a  bleeding  leg 
and  begging  the  officers  not  to  kill  him.  Reclining 
on  the  stairs  below  them  were  two  suffering  men, 
and  in  the  area- way  below  three  more.  East  and 
west  on  Randolph  street  wounded  men  lay  in  door- 
ways. In  the  driveway  ten  men  lay  in  a  heap.  In 
the  alley,  on  the  west  side  of  the  street,  three  men 
lay,  wifh  wounded  limbs  or  bodies.  All  the  way  to 
Lake  street  sufferers  could  be  found.  All  of  these 
were  wounded  in  the  legs  or  vitals,  which  accounted 
for  their  presence  on  the  scene.  Those  wounded  in 
the  head  or  in  such  manner  as  to  allow  flight,  had 


THE    CHICAGO    RIOT.  75 

disappeared.  Many  were  carried  away  by  their 
friends.  The  police  made  no  arrests,  but  quickly 
began  the  work  of  caring  for  their  wounded 
brothers.  Patrol  wagons  were  on  the  ground  the 
moment  the  firing  ceased,  and  the  wounded  men 
were  taken  to  the  police  station. 

Ten  minutes  later  the  following  surgeons  ap- 
peared and  offered  their  services:  Drs.  O.  T.  Sher- 
wick,  C.  A.  Stewart,  J.  J.  Davis,  Hening,  S.  W. 
Reynolds,  Murphy,  Moran,  E.  W.  Lee,  H.  C.  Kerber, 
Hildebrandt  and  Tucker. 

Fathers  P.  J.  Hickey,  Kinsella  and  Kreus,  from 
St.  Patrick's  church,  Father  S.  Mahoney,  O'Bryne, 
Frank  Walsh  and  Father  Knock,  from  New  York, 
quickly  attended  to  the  spiritual  consolation  of  the 
officers  wounded  with  probably  fatal  effect. 

As  quickly  as  spirited  horses  could  carry  them, 
Warden  McGarigle,  of  the  county  hospital,  accom- 
panied by  ten  trained  nurses,  arrived  at  the  station. 
The  squad-room  at  the  police  station  looked  like 
an  army  hospital  after  the  riot.  The  wounded 
men  lay  on  cots,  on  tables,  and  on  the  floor.  Offi- 
cers hurried  about  with  bottles  of  liquor  and  cups 
of  water.  Black-gowned  priests  came  and  moved 
among  the  wounded.  Weeping  wives  and  sisters 
hung  over  the  bleeding  men.  The  trained  nurses 
in  their  pretty  striped  dresses  and  white  tulle  caps, 
moved  swiftly  among  the  men,  easing  their  posi- 


76  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

tions,  washing  the  blood  from  their  faces,  and 
bandaging  up  their  wounded  limbs. 

It  was  feared  that  an  attempt  would  be  made  to 
blow  up  the  station,  and  officers  on  guard  allowed 
no  one  to  pass  who  was  not  known. 

Police  Justice  Scully  hurried  to  the  station,  but 
an  officer  in  the  street  halted  him,  not  knowing 
him.  "  You  can't  go  this  way,"  said  the  officer. 

"All  right,  my  boy,"  said  the  justice.  "I  obey, 
in  times  like  these." 

The  next  day  the  Justice  fined  James  Wanz  $25 
for  refusing  to  "  move  on  "  when  ordered  by  an 
officer. 

The  wounded  men  were  quickly  carried  to  the 
hospital,  and  before  midnight  all  were  cared  for 
there. 

Following  are  the  names  of  the  officers  wounded 
in  the  riot.  But  one — officer  Degan — was  killed  on 
the  scene  of  the  fight.  Four  others  died  at  the 
hospital  a  few  days  later.  The  list  is  given  with 
final  results,  that  the  reader  may  not  have  to  reca- 
pitulate: 

DEAD. 

Matthias  Degan,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake 
street  station;  residence  No.  636  South  Canal 
street;  instantly  killed  by  shell;  leaves  a  widow  and 
one  child;  died  May  4. 

John  G.  Barrett,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake  street 


THE   CHICAGO    RIOT.  77 

station;  residence    No.   99  West    Erie   street;  shot 
through  the  liver;  leaves  a  widow;  died  May  6. 

George  Muller,  Third  Precinct;  residence  No. 
836  West  Madison  street;  single  man;  died  at 
county  hospital,  May  6. 

Timothy  Flavin,  Fourth  Precinct;  residence 
No.  504  North  Ashland  avenue;  wife  and  three 
children;  died  May  8. 

Michael  Sheehan,  Third  Precinct;  residence  No. 
163  Barber  street;  single  man;  died  at  the  home  of 
his  brother,  May  9. 

WOUNDED. 

August  C.  Killer,  Third  Precinct;  residence  No. 
36  Greenwich  street;  shell  wound  on  right  side  and 
ball  wound  on  left  side;  wife  and  five  children. 

Thomas  McHenry,  Third  Precinct;  residence  No. 
376  West  Polk  street;  slight  wound  in  left  knee 
and  three  small  wounds  on  left  hip;  single;  has 
sister  and  blind  mother  to  support. 

John  E.  Doyle,  Third  Precinct;  residence  No. 
142^  West  Jackson  street;  bullet  wound  in  back  and 
calves  of  both  legs;  wife  and  one  child. 

John  A.  King,  Third  Precinct;  residence  No. 
1411  Wabash  avenue;  jaw  bone  fractured  by  shell 
and  two  bullet  wounds  in  right  leg  below  the  knee; 
single. 

Nicholas  Shannon,  Jr.,  Third  Precinct;  residence 
No.  24  Miller  street;  thirteen  shell  wounds  on  right 


?8  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

side  and  five  shell  wounds  on  left  side;  also  right 
foot  and  back;  wife  and  three  children. 

James  Con  way,  Third  Precinct;  residence  No. 
185  Morgan  street;  bullet  wound  in  right  leg; 
single. 

Patrick  Hartford,  Third  Precinct;  residence  No. 
228  Noble  street;  shell  wound  right  ankle,  two  toes 
on  left  foot  amputated,  bullet  wound  in  left  side; 
wife  and  four  children-. 

Patrick  Nash,  Third  Precinct;  residence  station, 
Desplaines  street;  bruise  on  left  shoulder;  single. 

Arthur  Conolly,  Third  Precinct;  residence  No. 
318  West  Huron  street;  two  shell  wounds  in  left 
leg,  bones  slightly  fractured;  wife. 

Louis  Johnson,  Third  Precinct;  residence  40 
West  Erie  street;  shell  wound  in  left  leg;  wife  and 
four  children. 

M.  M.  Cardin,  Third  Precinct;  residence  No.  18 
North  Peoria  street;  bullet  wound  in  calf  of  both 
legs;  wife  and  two  children. 

Adam  Barber,  Third  Precinct;  residence  No.  321 
West  Jackson  street;  shell  wound  in  left  leg,  bullet 
wound  in  right  knee,  bullet  not  extracted;  wife  and 
one  child. 

Henry  F.  Smith,  Third  Precinct;  bullet  wound 
in  right  shoulder;  wife  and  two  children  in  Cali- 
fornia. 

Frank  Tyrell,  Third  Precinct;  residence  No.  228 


THE   CHICAGO    RIOT. 

Lincoln  street;  bullet  in  right  hip  near  the  spine; 
bullet  not  removed;  single. 

James  A.  Brady,  Third  Precinct;  residence  No. 
146  West  Van  Buren  street;  shell  wound  in  left  leg, 
slight,  injury  to  toes  on  left  foot,  and  shell  wound 
in  left  thigh;  wife  and  two  children. 

John  Reed,  Third  Precinct;  residence  No.  237 
South  Halsted  street;  shell  wound  in  left  leg  and 
bullet  wound  in  right  knee;  bullet  not  removed; 
single. 

Patrick  McLaughlin,  Third  Precinct;  residence 
No.  965  Thirty-seventh  court;  bruised  on  right 
side,  leg,  and  hip;  wife  and  three  children. 

Frank  Murphy,  Third  Precinct;  residence,  No. 
980  Walnut  street;  trampled  on,  three  ribs  broken; 
wife  and  two  children. 

Lawrence  Murphy,  Third  Precinct;  residence  No. 
31 7^  Fulton  street;  shell  wounds  left  side  of  neck 
and  left  knee,  part  of  left  foot  amputated;  wife 
and  three  children. 

Lieut.  Stanton,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake  street; 
residence  No.  584  Carroll  avenue;  shell  wounds  in 
right  side,  bullet  wound  right  hip,  wound  on  inside 
both  hips,  bullet  wound  in  calf  of  leg;  wife  and 
seven  children. 

Thomas  Brophy,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake 
street;  residence  No.  25  Nixon  street;  slight  wound 
to  left  leg;  wife. 


80  THE   CHICAGO    RIOT. 

Bernard  Murphy,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake 
street;  residence  No.  325  East  Twenty-second  street; 
bullet-wound  in  left  thigh,  shell-wound  in  right  side 
of  head  and  on  chin;  wife. 

Charles  H.  Fink,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake 
street;  residence  No.  154  South  Sangamon  street; 
two  shell-wounds  in  left  leg  and  two  wounds  on 
right  leg,  slightly  on  thigh;  wife. 

Joseph  Norman,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake 
street;  residence  No.  612  Walnut  street;  bullet 
wound  through  right  foot  and  slight  injury  to  fin- 
gers on  left  hand;  wife  and  two  children. 

Peter  Butterly,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake  street; 
residence  No.  436  West  Twelfth  street;  bullet 
wound  in  right  arm  and  shell-wounds  on  both  legs 
near  knees;  wife  and  one  child. 

Alexander  Jameson,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake 
street;  residence  No.  129  Gurley  street;  bullet- 
wound  in  left  leg;  wife  and  seven  children. 

Michael  Horan,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake 
street;  residence  at  station;  bullet-wound  in  left 
thigh,  not  removed,  slight  shell-wound  on  left  arm; 
single. 

Thomas  Hennessey,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake 
street;  residence  No.  287  Fulton  street;  shell-wound 
on  left  thigh,  slight;  has  a  crippled  brother  and 
two  sisters  to  support. 

William  Burns,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake  street; 


SAMUEL  FIELDEN. 


THE   CHICAGO    RIOT.  81 

residence  No.  602  West  Van  Buren  street;  slight 
shell  wound  on  left  ankle;  single. 

Thomas  Redden,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake 
street;  residence,  No.  109  Walnut  street;  fracture  of 
left  leg  below  knee,  bullet  wound  in  left  cheek, 
wound  in  right  arm;  wife  and  two  children. 

James  Plunkett,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake 
street;  residence  No.  15^  DePuyster  street;  struck 
with  club  and  trampled  upon;  wife. 

Charles  W.  Whitney,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake 
street;  residence  No.  453  South  Robey  street;  shell 
wound  in  right  breast,  shell  not  removed;  single. 

Jacob  Hansen,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake  street; 
residence  No.  137  North  Morgan  street;  right  leg 
amputated  above  the  knee,  three  shell  wounds  on 
left  leg;  wife  and  one  child. 

Timothy  Sullivan,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake 
street;  residence  No.  123  Hickory  street;  bullet 
wound  just  above  the  left  knee;  has  four  children 
(widower). 

Martin  Cullen,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake  street; 
residence  No.  236  Washtenaw  avenue;  right  collar 
bone  fractured  and  slight  injury  to  left  knee;  wife 
and  five  children. 

Simon  Klidzis,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake  street; 
residence  No.  158  Cornell  street;  shot  in  calf  of 
the  leg;  wife  and  three  children. 

Julius  L.  Simonson,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake 
6 


82  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

street;  residence  No.  241  West  Huron  street;  shot 
in  arm  near  shoulder;  wife  and  two  children. 

John  K.  McMahon,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake 
street;  residence  No.  118  North  Green  street;  shell 
wound  on  calf  of  left  leg  near  knee,  shell  not  found; 
wife  and  two  children. 

Simon  McMahon,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake 
street;  residence  913  North  Ashland  avenue;  shot  in 
right  arm  and  two  wounds  on  right  leg,  wife  and 
five  children. 

Edward  W.  Ruel,  Third  Precinct,  west  Lake 
street;  residence  No.  136  North  Peoria  street;  shot 
in  right  ankle,  bullet  not  removed;  single. 

Alex.  Halverson,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake 
street;  residence  No.  850  North  Oakley  avenue; 
shot  in  both  legs,  ball  not  extracted;  single. 

Carl  E.  Johnson,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake 
street;  residence  No.  339  West  Erie  street;  shot  in 
left  elbow;  wife  and  two  children. 

Peter  McCormick,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake 
street;  residence  No.  473  West  Erie  street;  slight 
shot  wound  in  left  arm;  wife. 

Christopher  Gaynor,  Third  Precinct,  West  Lake 
street;  residence  No.  45  Fay  street;  slight  bruise 
on  left  knee;  wife. 

Nels  Hansen,  Fourth  Precinct;  residence  No.  28 
Fowler  street;  shot  in  body,  arms  and  legs,  fingers 
paralyzed;  wife  and  six  children. 


THE   CHICAGO    RIOT.  83 

S.  J.  Weinike,  Fourth  Precinct;  residence  No.  73 
West  Division  street;  shot  in  left  side  of  head;  ball 
not  found;  wife  and  two  children. 

Patrick  McNulty,  Fourth  Precinct;  residence  No. 
691  North  Leavitt  street;  shot  in  right  leg  and  both 
hips;  wife  and  three  children. 

Samuel  Hilgo,  Fourth  Precinct;  residence  No. 
452  Milwaukee  avenue;  shot  in  right  leg;  single. 

Herman  Krueger,  Fourth  Precinct;  residence 
No.  184  Rumsey  street;  shot  in  right  knee;  wife 
and  two  children. 

Joseph  A.  Giles,  Fourth  Precinct;  residence  No. 
8  Emma  street;  slightly  injured  in  leg  and  back; 
wife  and  six  children. 

Edward  Barrett,  Fourth  Precinct;  residence  No. 
297  West  Ohio  street;  shot  in  right  leg;  wife  and 
six  children. 

Truman  Steele,  Fourth  Precinct;  residence  No. 
30  Rice  street;  slightly  wounded  in  back;  single. 

James  T.  Johnson,  Fourth  Precinct;  residence 
No.  740  Dixon  street;  right  knee  sprained;  wife 
and  three  children. 

Benjamin  F.  Snell,  Fourth  Precinct;  residence 
No.  138  Mozart  street;  shot  in  right  leg;  single. 

James  H.  Willson.  Central  Detail;  residence  No. 
810  Austin  avenue;  very  seriously  injured  in  ab- 
domen by  shell  and  in  left  hand;  wife  and  five  chil- 
dren. 


84  THE    CHICAGO   RIOT. 

Daniel  Hogan,  Central  Detail;  residence  No.  526 
Austin  avenue;  shot  in  calf  of  right  leg  and  left 
hand;  wife  and  daughter. 

M.  O'Brien,  Central  Detail;  residence  No.  491 
Fifth  avenue;  shell  wound  in  left  thigh;  wife  and 
t\vo  children. 

Frederick  A.  Andrew,  Central  Detail;  residence 
No.  1018  North  Halsted  street;  wounded  in  leg; 
married. 

Jacob  Ebinger,  Central  Detail;  residence  No.  235 
Thirty-seventh  street;  shell  wound  on  back  of  left 
hand;  wife  and  three  children. 

John  J.  Kelly,  Central  Detail;  residence  No.  194 
Sheffield  avenue;  slight  wound  by  shell,  left  hand; 
wife  and  three  children. 

Patrick  Flavin,  Central  Detail;  residence  No.  42 
Sholto  street,  finger  hurt  by  shell;  married. 

Even  an  approximate  list  of  the  number  of  citi- 
zens wounded  would  be  impossible  to  obtain. 
Charles  Kistler,  a  laborer,  who  lived  at  167  West 
Indiana  street,  was  the  only  one  found  dead  on  the 
ground.  Charles  Schumacher,  of  17  Fry  street, 
afterward  died  at  the  hospital.  Others  died  at  their 
homes.  Following  is  the  list  of  those  carried  to 
their  homes,  or  to  the  hospital,  by  the  police  on 
Tuesday  night: 

William  M.  Murphy,  No.  78  North  Carpenter 
street;  shot  through  lung. 


THE    CHICAGO    RIOT.  85 

Thomas  Nolan,  No.  47  West  Randolph  street; 
shot  in  right  breast. 

John  Lepland,  of  the  Waverly  House;  compound 
fracture  of  right  leg  above  the  knee,  bullet  in  right 
shoulder. 

Michael  Hahn,  No.  157  Eagle  street;  shot  in  thigh 
and  leg. 

Emil  Lutz,  No.  25  North  Halsted  street;  com- 
pound fracture  of  right  shoulder-blade. 

August  Jacobs,  No.  259  South  Clark  street;  shot 
in  chest  and  leg. 

Frank  Rush,  shot  in  chest  also  scalp  wound. 

Joseph  Koutchke,  No.  116  West  Randolph  street; 
bomb  wound  in  chest,  shot  in  back  and  left  leg. 

Robert  Schultz,  No.  165  North  Ashland  avenue; 
compound  fracture  of  the  thigh,  leg  amputated 
above  the  knee. 

John  Fraser,  several  minor  wounds  on  head  and 
arm. 

Otto  Graaf,  No.  189  West  Randolph  street;  gun- 
shot wound  in  foot. 

Fred  Sperker,  No.  174  West  Randolph  street; 
gunshot  wound  in  foot. 

James  Lee,  No.  3  Bickerdyke  street;  bullet  wound 
in  hip. 

Charles  Schumacher,  No.  17  Fry  street;  shot  in 
the  back. 

John  Broderick,  fractured  leg. 


86  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

Peter  Ley,  No.  563  West  Huron  street;  shot  in 
the  back. 

John  Sachel,  No.  103  South  Desplaines  street. 

George  Hurley,  slight  injuries. 

Matt  Lewis,  No.  2307  Wentworth  avenue;  shot 
in  the  back,  the  ball  passing  through  his  body. 

The  fugitives  from  the  scene  of  the  riot  poured 
into  Madison  street  in  an  irresistible  stream.  The 
open  stores,  which  here  offered  the  first  shelter, 
were  besieged  and  instantly  occupied  by  breathless 
and  terror-stricken  crowds.  Close  in  the  rear  of  this 
terrified  throng  the  wounded  followed  at  the  best 
speed  their  injuries  would  permit.  Men  ran  at  a 
staggering  pace,  with  the  blood  trickling  through 
their  clothing.  Others  rushed  frantically  through 
the  street,  shrieking  with  pain.  Couples  and  small 
groups,  came  dragging  a  wounded  friend  whom 
they  had  the  courage  to  rescue.  Several  fell  faint- 
ing in  the  streets  and  were  picked  up  by  sympa- 
thetic men  in  the  crowds.  The  drug  stores  in  the 
neighborhood  were  invaded  in  a  few  minutes  by 
throngs  of  groaning,  shrieking,  cursing  men.  Two 
men  ran  into  Bauer's  drug  store,  at  180  Madison 
street,  supporting  between  them  a  man  shot 
through  the  neck.  They  laid  their  burden  on  the 
floor  and  thundered  at  the  frightened  clerk:  "Medi- 
cine! A  doctor!  Quick,  get  us  help,  or  we'll  cut 
your  heart  out!"  Just  then  Dr.  Minte  arrived  and 


THE    CHICAGO    RIOT.  87 

cared  for  the  man.  Other  wounded  men  followed. 
One  was  shot  through  the  arm,  another  had  a  bul- 
let in  his  left  leg,  and  three  others  had  suffered  less 
serious  scalp  wounds  from  bricks  and  clubs. 
Ebert's  drug  store  on  the  corner  was  crowded  with 
the  wounded.  One  after  another  men  ran  in  and 
threw  themselves  into  chairs  and  upon  the  floor,  or 
stood  appealing  for  relief.  The  following  wounds 
were  dressed  there:  Shots  through  the  right  breast 
and  left  leg  of  one  man,  a  scalp  shot,  a  right  arm 
shot,  a  fight  leg  shot,  and  a  shot  in  the  neck. 
Across  the  street  at  the  drug  store  of  B.  M.  Magill 
a  man  came  in  with  two  bullets  in  his  left  leg,  an- 
other with  a  scalp  wound,  and  another  with  a 
broken  nose,  from  which  the  blood  issued  in  a 
steady  stream.  The  little  drug  store  at  the  corner 
of  Desplaines  and  Madison  streets,  which  was  first 
reached  from  the  scene  of  the  riot,  containe'd  nine 
wounded  men  at  one  time.  The  proprietor  made 
all  haste  to  turn  his  unwelcome  visitors  over  to 
physicians,  and  closed  his  doors. 

At  long  intervals  after  the  riot  and  late  into  the 
night  wounded  men  appeared  at  the  drug  stores  or 
were  found  roaming  the  streets  crazed  with  fright 
and  pain.  In  every  case  where  wounded  sought 
relief  at  the  drug  stores  the  victims  refused  to  give 
their  names,  and  the  list  of  wounded  will  thus  never 
be  fully  known.  A  boy,  who  failed  to  find  a  physi- 


88  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

cian,  stood  in  the  glare  of  the  electric  light  at  the 
corner  of  Madison  and  Halsted  streets,  and  with  his 
jack-knife  cut  a  bullet  from  his  elbow.  The  crowd 
helped  to  bandage  his  wound  with  shreds  of  his 
shirt,  and,  declining  to  give  his  name,  he  went  off 
alone. 

About  eleven  o'clock  Michael  Mahan,  of  157 
Eagle  street,  was  found  lying  at  the  head  of  the 
stairs  above  Bauer's  drug  store,  suffering  from  three 
shots  in  his  leg.  He  was  later  taken  to  the  county 
hospital. 

At  half-past  eleven  o'clock  the  large  crowds 
which  had  lingered  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  riot 
gathered  in  an  immense  throng  at  the  corner  of 
Desplaines  and  Madison  streets.  Fully  three  hun- 
dred men  stood  packed  on  the  crossings,  impeding 
the  progress  of  cars  and  vehicles,  and  threatening 
every  moment  to  make  a  disturbance.  Several 
policemen  ordered  the  crowd  to  disperse,  but  were 
greeted  with  a  stubborn  refusal.  Word  was  sent  to 
the  station  for  help,  and  a  company  of  policemen 
was  detailed  to  clear  the  streets.  The  officers 
marched  in  double  file  at  a  quick  step  until  the  head 
of  the  column  reached  the  throng,  when  they  quickly 
deployed  into  line  and  charged.  The  police  yelled 
several  times,  at  the  same  time  firing  their  pistols 
into  the  air.  The  crowd  broke,  and  the  people  ran 
like  sheep  into  the  diverging  streets.  The  police 


THE   CHICAGO   RIOT.  89 

turned  and  cleared  the  crossing,  liberally  using  their 
clubs  on  the  heads  of  those  who  failed  to  move  fast 
enough.  A  half-dozen  men  who  fell  under  the 
blows  or  refused  to  move  were  arrested.  The  police- 
men then  formed  again  and  marched  back  to  the 
station,  routing  every  loiterer  and  leaving  the  streets 
behind  deserted  and  quiet. 

The  riot  of  the  day  and  of  the  times  was  over. 
Anarchy  in  Chicago  had  fallen  into  its  own  trap 
and  broken  its  neck.  And  in  its  fall  it  had  given 
almost  a  death  blow  to  the  eight-hour  movement. 
Serious  as  had  been  the  results  they  were  as  nothing 
compared  to  the  possibilities  of  the  occasion.  Had 
the  police  attempted  to  disperse  the  mob  half  an 
hour  sooner  than  it  did  every  officer  would  have 
been  killed  or  wounded.  Had  the  chilling  wind  not 
blown  and  brought  with  it  the  threatening  cloud 
the  result  would  have  been  equally  disastrous. 

Up  to  the  time  Spies  adjourned  the  meeting 
all  of  the  bomb-throwers  were  probably  in  the 
crowd  ready  to  do  their  work.  But  when  it  ap- 
peared that  the  blow  was  not  to  be  struck,  and  the 
adjournment  was  ordered,  all  but  one  of  them  hur- 
ried away  to  dispose  of  their  hellish  burdens.  The 
hall  at  54  West  Lake  street  had  been  one  of  their 
headquarters,  and  it  is  possible  that  those  who  left 
hurriedly  wished  to  deposit  their  bombs  there,  or 


90  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

elsewhere,  and  reach  the  hall  in  advance  of  the 
crowd. 

Two  bombs  were  found  by  the  police  the  next 
day  in  a  lumber  yard,  a  block  from  the  scene  of  the 
explosion.  Another  was  found  in  a  spot  close  to 
the  square.  If  six  bombs  had  been  thrown  as  skill- 
fully as  the  one  that  exploded  no  officer  would  have 
been  left  to  defend  the  city.  Had  the  mob  for  one 
moment  gained  the  supremacy,  the  handful  of  An- 
archists would  in  an  hour  have  been  followed  by 
20,000  malcontents  and  villains;  the  city  would 
have  been  gutted,  the  banks  robbed,  the  great 
buildings  blown  up,  the  wealthy  and  prominent 
citizens  murdered — no  power  available  for  days 
could  have  quelled  them,  and  murder,  robbery  and 
incendiarism  would  have  reigned.  After  the  riot 
hundreds  of  bombs,  arms  enough  to  equip  a  thou- 
sand men,  and  amunition  in  large  quantities  was 
turned  up  by  the  police  in  the  possession  of  persons 
known  to  be  Anarchists.  What  did  it  mean  but 
preparation  for  a  scene  of  carnage  suggested  above? 

The  damage  of  the  explosion  of  one  bomb  can 
be  seen  by  this  analysis:  The  bomb  fell  between 
the  second  and  third  companies  of  police.  Of  the 
second  company  of  twenty-four  men  eighteen  were 
wounded,  or  eighty  per  cent ;  of  the  third  company 
of  eighteen  men  fourteen  were  wounded,  or  seventy- 
eight  percent.  Their  limbs  formed  two  solid  walls 


THE    CHICAGO      RIOT.  91 

to  catch  the  bursting  metal.  Officer  Nicholas 
Shannon  stood  close  to  the  bomb.  He  received 
twenty  wounds.  Scarcely  any  officer  of  the  other 
companies  received  bomb  wounds.  Of  the  first 
company  of  fifty  men  fifteen  per  cent  were 
wounded;  of  the  fourth,  of  twenty-seven  men, 
thirty-seven  per  cent  were  wounded;  of  the  fifth, 
of  twenty  men,  twelve  per  cent  were  wounded;  and 
of  the  sixth,  of  twenty-four  men,  ten  per  cent  were 
wounded.  Most  of  these  wounds  were  caused  by 
bullets. 

If  a  bomb  had  been  thrown  in  front  of  each 
company,  and  its  work  aided  by  the  bullets  of  the 
mob,  what  would  have  been  the  result  ? 

Chicago  and  the  world  can  thank  that  mysteri- 
ous force  called  chance,  or  luck,  that  the  great  city 
is  not  in  ruins,  and  its  best  blood  spilled.  What 
was  done  is  a  finger  scratched  by  a  pin  compared 
to  what  might  have  been  done! 

And  what  praise  is  too  extolling  to  give  the  hand- 
ful of  brave  men  who,  after  one-third  of  their  num- 
ber had  fallen  at  one  blow  of  the  enemy,  stood  their 
ground  and  fought  a  mob  ten  times  their  number, 
when  every  member  of  it  seemed  to  be  armed  ? 
Can  there  be  greater  bravery  ?  Can  duty  be  more 
faithfully  discharged? 

Chicago  owes  its  existence  and  its  citizens  their 
lives  and  property  to  fifty  men. 


•92  THE    CHICAGO   RIOT. 

The  bomb  which  did  such  fearful  execution  is 
an  exact  counterpart  of  the  one  which  killed  the 
Czar  of  Russia.  From  that  murder  its  kind  derives 
the  name. 

The  Chicago  Daily  News  of  January  14,  1886, 
contained  a  description  of  the  "Czar"  bomb,  which 
is  given  below.  The  information  was  given  the 
reporter  by  August  Spies,  and  is,  hence,  authentic. 
Much  of  the  article  in  question  sounded  at  that 
time  like  the  idlest  of  fancy;  it  reads  now  like  a 
prophecy.  The  following  are  paragraphs  from  that 
article. 

*  *  *  "The  editor  in  question  (Spies)  took 
the  Daily  News  representative  into  a  small  room  in 
the  Socialistic  Publishing  Company's  building,  107 
Fifth  avenue,  and  handed  him  a  regular  Socialistic 
bomb.  This  bomb  is  a  hollow  meral  sphere  three 
inches  in  diameter.  It  consists  of  two  half  spheres 
strongly  fastened  together  by  a  bolt  with  a  nut  at 
one  end,  as  shown  in  the  cut.  These  half  shells  are 
about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  thickness,  so  that  the 
inside  diameter  of  the  bomb  is  nearly  two  and  one 
half  inches.  The  metal  of  which  the  bomb  in  ques- 
tion is  made  is  zinc  into  which  pulverized  glass  has 
been  stirred.  The  belief  is — founded  on  exped- 
ience, as  the  editor  explained — that  such  a  com- 
pound when  exploded  will  break  into  small  frag- 
ments. The  bomb  is  alleged  to  be  for  use  against 


THE    CHICAGO    RIOT.  93 

the  military  or  the  police,  and  the  separation  into 
pieces  of  the  metal  is  one  of  the  features  which 
makes  the  zinc  bomb  a  favorite  with  the  Socialists. 
These  bombs,  it  is  claimed,  are  made  by  most  of  the 
Socialists  for  themselves,  and  those  who  cannot 
manufacture  them  get  them  from  those  who  can. 
Although  it  was  said  that  the  building  previously 
mentioned  at  107  Fifth  avenue  was  a  convenient 
depot  for  exchange  and  a  repository  for  such  in- 
struments, no  considerable  number  appeared  to  be 
kept  on  hand,  but  only  enough  to  serve  as  samples. 
It  was  explained  that  a  very  similar  bomb,  but  bet- 
ter made  and  carrying  a  heavier  charge  of  dynamite, 
is  that  made  by  the  metal  workers'  "  military  sec- 
tion." The  work  comes  right  in  their  line  and  the 
shells  are  perfectly  cast  and  adjusted.  Their  cast- 
ing is  usually  done  in  their  workshops,  after  hours, 
or  at  their  assembly-rooms,  when  they  chose  to  cast 
of  zinc. 

"These  bombs  are  known  as  '  the  Czar,'  as  it  was 
by  one  such  that  the  late  Czar  was  killed.  They 
carry  a  charge  of  dynamite  which  the  Socialists  claim 
is  ninety  per  cent  nitro-glycerine,  whereas  the  com- 
mercial article  is  rarely  more  than  sixty-six  per  cent. 
They  use  a  fine,  imported  infusorial  earth,  while 
the  dynamite  of  commerce  is  usually  made  by  mixing 
silicon  with  the  nitro-glycerine.  The  dynamiters 
of  Chicago  say  they  place  no  reliance  in  the  shells 


94  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

which  explode  by  means  of  caps  alone,  nor  in  the 
torpedo  bombs,  which  explode  by  concussion.  Ex- 
periments, they  claim,  have  proven  such  to  be  unre- 
liable and  but  little  more  convenient  than  the  fuse. 

Beside  the  bomb  mentioned,  the  Socialistic 
leaders  refer  mysteriously  to  the  possession  of  in- 
fernal machines  which  explode  by  clockwork  or 
electricity.  They  are  intended  for  guarding  ap- 
proaches, mining  the  streets,  or  for  the  destruction 
of  property.  These  machines  are  not  individual 
property,  as  are  the  bombs,  but  belong  to  organi- 
zations and  are  in  the  hands  of  specified  officers. 
The  time  machine  and  the  electric  machine  differ 
very  little  in  appearance,  both  being  of  the  size  and 
shape  of  a  *  hundred  '  cigar  box.  When  properly 
placed  two  or  three  of  them  would  demolish  a 
building  or  so  tear  up  a  street  as  to  render  it  im- 
passable." 

There  was  infinitely  more  truth  in  what  Spies 
told  the  Daily  News  reporter  than  the  latter  ever 
imagined,  as  can  be  seen  by  the  following  para- 
graph, which  closes  the  article  in  question;  but  the 
author  of  the  article  inscribed  a  prophecy  in  the 
words  italicized,  which  was  fulfilled  long  before  he 
thought : 

"  Such  is  the  loose,  indefinite  and  bombastic  view 
the  Socialistic  fanatics  take  of  the  situation.  When 
spoken  with  all  the  force  of  foreign  fanaticism  and 


THE   CHICAGO    RIOT.  95 

foreign  gesticulation  it  sounds  ominous.  When  re- 
duced to  cold  print  it  seems  as  harmless  as  a  scare- 
crow flapping  in  a  cornfield.  It  is  only  calculated 
to  cause  alarm  to  those  who  are  ignorant  of  its 
source,  and  the  most  noise  is  now  made  on  the 
housetops  by  those  who  in  a  day  of  danger  would  be 
most  likely  to  flee  to  the  cellars  for  safety  from  the  storm 
they  had  created" 

This  is  exactly  what  the  Anarchists  did  on  the 
night  of  the  riot.  When  the  first  bomb  fell  and  ex- 
ploded in  the  midst  of  the  police,  they  took  fiendish 
courage  at  its  roar.  They  stood  their  ground  and 
fought  for  a  moment,  waiting  for  another,  and  a 
dozen  other  explosions.  But  they  came  not.  Watch- 
ful Providence  had  taken  them  away,  and  when  the 
officers'  revolvers  began  to  crack  the  cowardly  mur- 
derers took  to  the  heels  and  flew  "  to  the  cellars 
for  safety  from  the  storm  they  had  created."  And 
it  is  a  lamentable  fact  that  they  found  safety  some- 
where. It  is  with  regret  that  the  fact  is  chronicled 
here  that  none  of  the  followers  of  Spies  and  Par- 
sons were  killed  by  the  police  on  the  night  of  May 
4,  1886. 

After  August  Spies  had  opened  the  mass-meeting, 
by  advising  his  hearers  not  "to  make  useless  threats 
but  to  act,"  he  remained  in  the  wagon  from  which 
the  speeches  were  made  until  Sam  Fielden  was 
interrupted  by  the  arrival  of  the  police.  A  moment 


96  THE   CHICAGO    RIOT. 

afterward  the  death-dealing  bomb  was  thrown. 
Under  cover  of  the  night,  and  taking  advantage  of 
the  uproar  and  panic  that  followed,  the  arch- 
Anarchist  escaped.  He  ran  to  Zepf's  saloon,  on 
West  Lake  street,  and  after  staying  there  a  few 
moments,  hurried  to  his  home. 

Parsons  entered  the  same  place  a  moment  later, 
where  his  wife  was  waiting  for  him.  They  escaped 
together,  and  Parsons  at  once  left  the  city. 

Fielden  sprang  from  the  wagon  and  fled  toward 
Lake  street.  As  he  ran  he  was  shot  in  the  knee  by 
a  bullet.  From  the  nature  of  the  wound  physicians 
determined  that  he  had  inflicted  it  himself  while 
holding  a  revolver  in  his  hand,  pointing  downward. 
He  was  able  to  walk  after  being  wounded.  He 
went  south  to  the  corner  of  Canal  and  Van  Buren 
streets,  where  he  took  a  Van  Buren  street  car  at 
eleven  o'clock,  and  rode  to  the  Arbeiter  Zeitung  office 
on  Fifth  avenue.  No  one  was  there,  and  he  took  a 
return  car  to  the  corner  of  Twelfth  and  Canal 
Streets.  He  alighted  and  had  his  wounded  knee 
dressed  at  Gould's  drug  store.  He  then  limped  to 
his  home. 

Adolph  Spies,  a  brother  of  August  and  Chris, 
took  part  in  the  riot.  He  was  dangerously 
wounded.  After  the  bomb  was  thrown  he  fled  for 
his  life,  but  a  bullet  overtook  him  and  he  fell,  cry- 
ing "  Oh,  God,  I  am  killed."  Forsaken  by  his 


THE   CHICAGO   RIOT.  97 

brother  August,  he  contrived  to  drag  himself  into 
an  alley  where  a  couple  of  fellow-Anarchists  had 
taken  refuge.  They  took  him  between  them,  and 
half-dragged,  half-carried,  he  was  borne  out  of 
reach  of  danger.  Other  friends  were  met,  and  by 
relays  he  was  taken  to  his  home  at  13  Park  Place, 
where  he  lay  for  some  time  at  the  point  of  death. 
7 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  DAY  AFTER. 

The  police  searched  for  Spies  all  night,  but 
without  success,  and  it  was  not  until  Wednesday 
morning  at  eight  o'clock  that  he  was  apprehended. 
At  that  hour  he  appeared  in  the  editorial-rooms 
of  his  paper,  the  Arbeiter  Zeitung,  the  sheet 
which  had  advocated  bombs,  bloodshed,  riot,  arson 
and  murder  for  years.  The  Arbeiter  Zeitung  was 
published  in  a  four-story  building  at  107  Fifth 
avenue.  The  ground  floor  is  occupied  by  a  saloon, 
the  editorial-rooms  were  on  the  first  floor,  and  the 
second  and  third  stories  devoted  to  composing- 
rooms,  mailing-rooms  and  store-rooms. 

In  the  editorial-room  Spies  met  his  brother, 
Chris  Spies,  and  Michael  Schwab.  After  talking 
over  the  incendiary  harangues  and  the  bloody 
scenes  of  the  night  before,  Spies  swung  around  to 
his  desk  in  his  chair  and  taking  a  pen  wrote  on  a 
sheet  of  paper:  "  In  the  future  the  Arbeiter  Zeitung 

will  be  published  at ."  He  did  not  complete 

the  sentence,  for  just  then  the  office  door  was 
pushed  wide  open  and  Detectives  Bonfield  and 
Duffy  entered.  A  detail  of  police  followed. 


THE   CHICAGO    RIOT.  99 

"  Are  you  August  Spies,"  asked  Bonfield. 

Spies,  who  was  red-eyed  and  haggard-faced, 
turned  pale;  his  lips  parted  in  a  guilty  smile,  and 
he  hesitated  a  moment  before  he  answered  in  a 
husky  voice,  "Yes,  I  am  August  Spies/' 

"Well,  we  want  you,"  said  Bonfield,  "and  you, 
too,"  he  continued,  looking  at  Chris  Spies  and 
Schwab.  Schwab,  who  was  as  white  as  a  ghost, 
reached  for  his  hat  obediently.  Chris  Spies  was 
inclined  to  temporize. 

"  Get  ready,  quick!  "  said  the  officer,  moving  his 
hand  swiftly  toward  his  hip  pocket.  Spies  under- 
stood the  motion  and  made  no  further  attempt  to 
parley.  Without  uttering  a  word  the  three  men 
were  led  down  stairs  and  marched  over  to  the  Cen- 
tral police  station.  There,  in  the  presence  of  Chief 
Ebersold  and  a  crowd  of  policemen,  the  prisoners 
were  searched.  The  police  glared  at  them,  and  the 
communists  cringed  beneath  the  stern  glances 
which  met  their  eyes  on  all  sides — their  heads 
dropped  and  they  seemed  the  pictures  of  cowardice 
and  shame.  After  having  been  thoroughly  searched 
the  rioters  were  put  in  cells  down  stairs,  and  orders 
were  issued  that  no  one  should  be  allowed  to  speak 
to  them. 

A  squad  of  fourteen  policemen  under  Lieutenant 
Shea  was  then  detailed  to  search  the  offices  of  the 
Arbeiter  Zeitung.  After  ransacking  the  premises  in 


100  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

a  general  way  for  a  few  minutes  one  of  the  officers 
discovered  a  quantity  of  dynamite  in  a  little  store- 
room just  back  of  the  editorial  office.  The  explo- 
sive was  done  up  in  some  old  coffee  sacks,  and  was 
hidden  among  rubbish  on  a  shelf.  E.  L.  Buck,  a 
mining  expert,  was  at  once  summoned.  The  dyna- 
mite was  taken  to  the  lake  front  and  a  few 
samples  of  it  subjected  to  tests,  the  results  of  which 
amply  demonstrated  the  explosive  nature  of  the 
material.  Later  in  the  day  Mr.  Buck  procured 
some  dynamite  and  compared  it  with  that  which 
had  been  found  in  Spies'  office.  The  results  of  his 
experiments  proved  unquestionably  that  the  mate- 
rial in  the  coffee  sacks  was  dynamite. 

Meanwhile  Lieutenant  Shea  and  his  squad  were 
rummaging  about  the  establishment  in  search  of 
further  evidence.  Finally  they  reached  the  com- 
posing-room on  the  fourth  floor.  It  was  filled  with 
printers,  who'  were  busily  engaged  in  setting  up 
type.  The  compositors  looked  up  from  their  cases 
in  bewilderment  at  the  police  who  crowded  through 
the  door.  Before  they  comprehended  what  was, 
going  on  they  had  left  their  cases,  formed  in  a  dou- 
ble column,  and  were  marching  to  the  Central  sta- 
tion. From  there  they  were  taken  to  the  armory, 
where  each  one  was  booked  on  a  charge  of  murder. 

The  Arbeiter  Zeitung  office  remained  deserted  for 
several  hours.  Early  in  the  afternoon  five  detect- 


THE   CHICAGO    RIOT.  101 

ives  appeared,  took  possession,  and  began  a  careful 
search.  As  they  passed  in  they  noticed  a  written 
placard  posted  on  the  front  door.  It  directed  tliat 
advertisements  for  the  Arbciter  Zeittttig  should  be 
left  in  the  saloon  on  the  lower  floor.  The  placard 
was  torn  down.  The  search  began  in  the  editorial 
room,  which  was  furnished  with  several  desks  and 
a  medium-sized  safe.  On  one  of  the  desks  was  a 
lot  of  addressed  newspaper  wrappers.  One  of  these 
was  directed  to  J.  H.  Schwab,  New  York,  and  an- 
other to  the  Freiheit,  Herr  Most's  paper,  published 
at  167  William  street,  New  York.  A  casual  glance 
over  these  wrappers  showed  that  the  Arbeiter  cir- 
culated in  France,  California,  Dakota  and  Pennsyl-. 
vania.  After  forcing  open  the  drawers  in  a  couple 
of  desks  without  finding  anything  of  a  suspicious 
nature,  the  detectives  turned  their  attention  to 
Editor  Spies'  private  desk,  which  was  furnished 
with  one  large  drawer  just  under  the  green  baize- 
covered  board  where  the  unfinished  editorial  notice 
lay.  The  drawer  was  speedily  forced  open  and  the 
men  simultaneously  started  back.  It  contained  a 
magazine  of  ammunition  and  explosives.  There 
were  two  large  cylindrical  packages  of  ^Etna  gun- 
powder, No.  2,  a  tin  box  filled  with  XXXXX 
(quintuple)  caps,  which  are  used  for  exploding  dyna- 
mite, and  a  coil  of  fuse  at  least  thirty  feet  long, 
done  up  in  a  newspaper.  Beside  these  there  was  a 


102  THE   CHICAGO   RIOT. 

box  of  cartridges  and  a  lot  of  letters  written  in 
French,  German,  and  English. 

While  two  of  the  men  were  unearthing  this  mag- 
azine, a  third  appeared  at  the  door  of  the  store- 
room with  a  package  which  he  handled  very 
gingerly.  It  was  a  hand-grenade  rolled  in  a  news- 
paper. It  came  from  the  same  corner  where  the 
dynamite  had  been  found.  Further  search  revealed 
a  small  book  labeled  "Agitation  fund."  An  exam- 
ination of  its  contents  disclosed  the  fact  that  since 
May,  1885,  $130  had  been  contributed  to  the  cause 
by  this  "group"  and  that  "group."  The  debtor 
column  of  the  account  showed  that  Messrs.  Spies 
and  Parsons  had  spent  all  the  money,  barring  a  few 
dollars  spent  for  telegraphing,  save  $7.  In  the  di- 
vision of  the  booty  Parsons  seems  to  have  got  the 
lion's  share,  as  he  had  drawn  $52  since  January  4. 
1886,  while  Spies  had  used  only  $12  for  "expenses 
from  Buffalo  to  Detroit." 

The  safe  yet  remained  for  examination,  and  the 
services  of  Alexander  Klug,  an  expert  locksmith, 
were  called  into  requisition.  Its  contents  revealed 
nothing  of  a  seditious  nature  except  the  unexpend- 
ed $7  of  the  agitation  fund.  There  were  postal 
orders  and  checks  for  quite  a  large  sum  of  money. 
The  composing  room  was  then  given  a  final  ran- 
sacking. A  half-eaten  sausage  and  two  slices  of 
rye  bread  on  one  of  the  compositors'  stools  told  the 


THE    CHU'AtlO    RIOT.  103 

story  of  the  sudden  vacation  of  the  premises  a  few 
hours  before.  All  the  "  copy  "  and  proofs  were  car- 
ried off  to  see  what  the  Arbeiter  Zeitung  would  have 
said  on  Wednesday.  Late  in  the  afternoon  several 
Poles  appeared  at  the  office  for  their  papers. 

"Get  out,"  said  the  police;  "  this  paper's  gone 
up." 

About  noon  a  lot  of  arms  seized  at  C.  H.  Bissell's 
workshop,  15  South  Canal  street,  were  taken  to  the 
station  by  the  Central  detail  under  Lieut  Hubbard. 
In  the  outfit  were  about  one  hundred  old  muskets, 
recently  repaired;  a  box  of  bayonets,  as  bright  and 
sharp  as  new  needles;  two  hundred  steel  knuckles, 
a  lot  of  "billies,"  daggers,  knives,  and  odd,  suspi- 
cious looking  missiles,  filled  with  slugs  and  bits  of 
iron,  that  were  evidently  to  be  charged  with  dyna- 
mite. Bissell  is  a  gunsmith,  and  among  his  nu- 
merous patents  is  a  mysterious  affair  he  calls  the 
"self-acting,  Langtry-bang  frizzing  iron."  He  was 
arrested  when  the  seizure  was  made  and  taken  to 
the  Desplaines  street  station.  He  denied  that  he 
had  been  furnishing  arms  to  the  Anarchists,  but 
the  police  had  information  to  the  contrary.  One 
of  the  officers  said  later  that  Bissell  had  admitted  he 
had  been  repairing  arms  and  doing  other  work  for 
the  demons  of  the  red  flag. 

Sam  Fielden  was  arrested  about  9  o'clock  Wed- 
nesday forenoon  by  detectives  at  his  home,  no 


104  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

West  Polk  street,  near  Desplaines.  He  was  suffer- 
ing from  the  bullet  wound  in  the  left  knee.  He 
was  taken  to  the  city  hall  and  locked  up  in  a  cell  in 
the  basement. 

When  he  was  taken  to  the  Central  station  he  was 
not  allowed  to  see  any  one.  He  begged  of  the  de- 
tectives to  send  a  surgeon  to  dress  his  wound,  but 
none  was  sent  all  day.  Moses  Solomons,  who  has 
been  Spies'  lawyer,  called  at  the  Central  several 
times  during  the  day  to  see  the  prisoners,  but 
was  not  allowed  to  see  them.  He  then  asked 
Lieut.  Kipley  if  he  could  see  the  twenty-three 
printers  locked  up  in  the  Harrison  street  station. 
Kipley  gave  his  permission,  and  Solomons  went  to 
the  station.  When  he  reached  there  Lieut.  Shea 
telephoned  not  to  allow  any  one  see  the  men. 

The  following  flyer  in  German  was  handed 
around  among  the  Socialists  Wednesday  night: 

"To  READERS  ARBEITER  ZEITUNG:  As  all  the  ex- 
ecutive personnel  of  the  Arbeiter  Zeitung  have  been 
arrested,  therefore  we  are  not  in  a  condition  to  pub- 
lish the  paper,  and  we  request  the  readers  to  be 
patient  for  a  few  days  until  we  can  arrange  for  its 
future  appearance. 

"THE  Soc.  (SOCIALIST)  PUBLISHING  Co." 

In  the  Anarchists'  headquarters  at  Zepf's  hall  on 
West  Lake  street  a  lot  of  muskets  and  red  flags 
were  also  found  and  seized.  There  were  also 


THE   CHICAGO    RIOT.  105 

pamphlets,   books,  and  correspondence,  chiefly  in 
German,  treating  on  Socialism. 

A.  R.  Parsons  was,  for  a  few  days,  believed  to 
be  hiding  in  Chicago.  Thursday  night,  at  9:15 
o'clock,  a  short,  slender  man,  with  a  swarthy  com- 
plexion and  a  little  black  mustache,  knocked  at  the 
door  of  the  gentleman  who  rented  Mr.  Parsons  his 
rooms  at  245  West  Indiana  street.  Parsons  moved 
in  two  weeks  before  the  riot.  His  landlord  had 
seen  him  only  once  in  the  meantime.  The  land- 
lord's daughter  never  saw  him.  She  answered  the 
stranger's  knock.  He  asked  where  Parsons  lived, 
and  was  told  that  he  occupied  the  floor  above.  He 
observed  to  the  young  lady  that  he  understood 
people  who  were  found  about  the  premises  of  Mr. 
Parsons  were  in  danger  of  being  taken  in  by  the 
police.  Then  he  skipped  hurriedly  upstairs.  He 
returned  in  a  moment,  remarking  that  there  was  no 
one  in,  and  asked  for  a  piece  of  paper.  He  wrote 
a  note  and  inquired  which  door  he  had  better  leave 
it  under.  He  was  told  that  Mr.  Parsons  had  a 
roomer  who  was  usually  home  at  that  hour.  The 
strange  visitor  slipped  the  note  under  the  door  and 
departed.  It  was  found  by  the  roomer,  who  read 
and  replaced  it.  It  read: 

"  Send  me  some  money.  P." 

The  man's  odious  breath  and  wild  demeanor 
frightened  the  young  lady,  and  she  did  not  invite 


106  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

him  in.  The  hall  was  only  partly  lighted,  and  she 
was  not  able  to  distinguish  his  features  minutely. 
He  wore  a  soft  hat  pushed  back  on  his  head,  and 
talked  in  a  jerky,  nervous  manner.  The  descrip- 
tion of  the  man  and  the  style  of  his  talk  are  those 
of  A.  R.  Parsons. 

Two  detectives  were  sent  to  LaGrange,  a  town 
on  the  Burlington  road,  Friday  morning,  to  look 
for  Parsons,  who  was  reported  to  be  in  hiding 
there.  The  house  of  a  woman  known  to  be  a  friend 
of  his  was  searched  and  the  woman  was  badly 
scared,  but  no  Parsons  was  found.  Later  in  the 
night  the  mail  brought  the  following  to  the  Daily 
Neivs  office,  postmarked  "  Chicago,  7 130  o'clock  p. 
m.,  May  7": 
"  MR.  M.  E.  STONE,  Editor  Daily  News: 

"  DEAR  SIR, — I  want  to  speak  a  word  through  you 
to  my  fellow-workers,  just  to  let  them  know  that  I 
am  still  in  the  land  of  the  living  and  looking  out 
for  their  interests. 

"And  further,  give  a  few  hints  to  some  of  the 
fellows  who  desire  to  live  on  Anarchists,  that  may 
be  for  their  welfare.  In  the  first  place,  I  am  watch- 
ing the  papers  and  also  the  knowing  chaps  who  give 
the  pointers  as  to  my  whereabouts,  some  of  whom 
will  make  good  subjects  for  a  coroner's  inquest  one 
of  these  days  should  they  persist  in  their  present 
course.  To  the  public  I  desire  to  say  that  the  devil 


THE    CHICAGO    RIOT.  107 

is  never  so  black  as  you  paint  him.  I  will  in  due 
time  turn  up  and  answer  for  myself  for  anything  I 
may  have  said  or  done.  I  have  no  regrets  for  past 
conduct  and  no  pledges  for  the  future  if  there  is  to 
be  nothing  but  blood  and  death  for  the  toilers  of 
America.  Whenever  the  public  decide  to  use  rea- 
son and  justice  in  dealing  with  the  producing  class, 
just  at  that  time  will  you  see  me.  But,  should  the 
decision  be  to  continue  the  present  course  of  death 
and  slavery  just  so  long  will  I  wage  relentless  war  on 
all  organized  force,  and  all  endeavor  to  find  me  will 
be  fruitless.  Watching  my  wife  and  her  kind  friends 
is  of  no  use.  I  am  dead  to  them  already.  I  count 
my  life  already  sacrificed  for  daring  to  stand  be- 
tween tyrants  and  slaves. 

"To  show  you  how  well  I  am  kept  posted,  I  know 
who  was  sent  to  LaGrange  for  me  to-day.  I  was 
not  there.  I  know  who  put  you  on  the  track  of 
Glasgow  and  just  where  to  find  him.  Just  say  to 
that  man  for  me  that  his  day  of  reckoning  will 
come  soon.  I  read  all  the  papers  to-day,  and  will 
see  the  Times,  Inter  Ocean  and  Hesing  later. 

"  Now,  as  to  what  must  be  done  to  satisfy  the 
Anarchists  is  to  stop  all  these  demands  for  blood 
and  show  a  spirit  of  reason  and  a  disposition  to  put 
down  the  oppressors  of  the  people,  and  enforce 
laws  against  rich  thieves  as  readily  as  you  do 
against  the  poor.  Grant  every  fair  demand  of 


108  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

labor.  Give  those  poor  creatures  enough  to  satisfy 
their  hunger,  and  I  will  guarantee  a  quiet  period, 
in  which  all  the  great  questions  of  land  and  wages 
and  rights  can  be  put  in  operation  without  further 
bloodshed.  But  if  not,  I  am  already  sacrificed  and 
.as  a  martyr  for  the  cause.  I  have  thousands  of 
brethren  who  will  sell  their  lives  just  as  dearly  as  I 
will  mine,  and  at  iust  as  great  a  cost  to  our  enemies. 
"I  shall  wait  just  as  long  as  I  think  necessary 
for  the  public  to  take  warning,  and  then  you  decide 
your  own  fate. 

"  It  must  be  liberty  for  the  people  or  death  for 
capital.  I  am  not  choosing  more.  It  is  your  choice 
and  your  last.  I  love  humanity,  and  therefore  die 
for  it.  No  one  can  do  more.  Every  drop  of  my 
blood  shall  count  an  avenger,  and  woe  to  America 
when  these  are  in  arms. 

"I  have  not  yet  slept,  nor  shall  I  sleep  until  I 
sleep  in  death,  or  my  fellow-men  are  on  the  road  to 
liberty.  A.  R.  PARSONS." 

At  about  noon  Wednesday  Coroner  Hertz  im- 
paneled a  jury  to  hold  an  inquest  upon  the  body  of 
the  dead  policeman,  Matthias  J.  Began.  The  fol- 
lowing jurors  were  sworn  :  J.  J.  Badenoch,  a  flour 
and  feed  merchant,  of  Washington  and  Desplaines 
streets  ;  Frank  Kurtz,  a  clerk  in  a  plumbing  office 
at  366  Ogden  avenue  ;  Charles  Klausner,  a  liquor 
dealer,  of  373  Ogden  avenue  ;  Paul  Smith,  a  tailor, 


THE    CHICAGO    RIOT.  109 

of  910  Milwaukee  avenue  ;  G.  Eickenberg,  a  barber 
of  382  Ogden  avenue,  and  S.  Greenbaum,  a  com- 
mission merchant,  of  307  West  Jackson  street.  Mr. 
Badenoch,  a  large,  fine-looking  Scotchman,  was 
made  foreman. 

Before  the  prisoners  were  brought  up  a  young 
man  named  John  Degan  was  sworn.  He  is  a 
brother  of  the  slain  officer,  living  at  214  Union 
street.  He  said  that  his  brother  had  been  a  wid- 
ower, 34  years  old,  and  that  he  leaves  a  small  son. 
His  brother  was  a  man  of  sound  constitution  and 
good  health. 

After  a  short  wait  three  of  the  Anarchists  were 
brought  into  the  room,  guarded  by  half-a-dozen 
detectives.  They  were  August  Spies,  Christ  Spies, 
and  Michael  Schwab.  They  were  seated  on  chairs 
in  a  row  near  the  southern  end  of  the  room. 
Shortly  afterward  Sam  Fielden  was  brought  in 
limping,  and  placed  beside  the  three  others.  The 
men  were  all  nervous.  August  Spies  was  well 
dressed  in  black,  wearing  a  short  coat,  linen  collar 
and  cuffs,  low  shoes  and  gray  stockings.  During 
the  proceedings  he  leaned  upon  his  left  elbow,  and 
kept  his  feet  crossed.  Much  of  the  time  he  pulled 
the  ends  of  his  small  mustache.  He  listened  very 
attentively  to  every  word  that  was  said.  His 
younger  brother,  Christ  Spies,  sat  at  August's 
right. 


110  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

Schwab  sat  in  a  limp  attitude,  with  his  shoulders 
bent  and  one  leg  wrapped  about  the  other  in  some 
uncertain  way. 

Sam  Fielden  wore  neither  collar  nor  cuffs.  He 
sat  nearest  to  the  witnesses.  He  did  not  move 
often,  but  at  times  the  contraction  of  his  eyebrows 
showed  that  his  wounded  knee  pained  him. 

Captain  William  Ward  of  the  Desplaines  street 
station  was  sworn.  He  said:  "Inspector  Bonfield 
ordered  out  our  police.  We  marched  to  the  meet- 
ing. I  called  on  Fielden  to  cease  and  the  crowd  to 
disperse.  I  pointed  out  several  persons  in  the 
crowd  to  assist  me  in  dispersing  the  meeting.  The 
speaker  stepped  from  the  wagon,  and  just  then  the 
bomb  exploded  and  the  firing  commenced.  After  it 
was  over  I  found  one  of  my  men  dead  and  thirty- 
nine  wounded." 

Captain  Ward  thought  orders  had  been  previously 
issued  for  the  Anarchist  speakers  to  desist  from 
their  utterances,  but  none  had  ever  passed  through 
his  hands. 

Detective  Timothy  McKeough  gave  a  detailed 
account  of  the  speeches  of  the  three  Anarchists. 
He  considered  Parsons'  appeal  to  the  people  to 
arm  to  be  so  incendiary  and  dangerous  that  he  at 
once  proceeded  to  the  Desplaines  street  station  and 
reported  it  to  Inspector  Bonfield.  He  then  returned 
to  the  meeting  and  heard  Fielden  say:  "Take  the 


THE   CHICAGO    RIOT.  Ill 

law!  kill  it!  throttle  it!  shoot  it!  If  you  don't,  it 
will  kill  you." 

Mr.  McKeough  was  one  of  the  officers  who  went 
down  to  the  lake  front  just  before  noon  to  try  some 
of  the  explosive  material  found  in  the  Arbeiter 
Zeitung  office.  He  described  the  operations  there. 
The  exploding  was  done  by  an  expert — F.  L.  Buck. 
A  fuse  and  some  caps  were  obtained.  A  piece  of 
the  material  about  as  large  around  as  a  half-dollar 
was  placed  between  two  large  stones,  upon  a  heavy 
oak  plank.  The  stones  were  shivered  and  the 
plank  was  split  in  many  places.  A  car-coupling 
link  was  laid  on  a  plank.  A  piece  of  the  explosive 
about  the  size  of  a  hen's  egg  was  laid  in  the  center 
of  the  link.  Two  bricks  were  laid  over  it.  The 
cap  and  fuse  were  attached  and  ignited.  After  the 
explosion  the  bricks  were  found  to  have  been  pul- 
verized into  red  dust,  and  the  coupling-link  was 
broken  into  two  parts.  One  part  lay  twenty-five 
feet  away,  while  the  other  had  been  hurled  into  the 
lake.  In  answer  to  a  question  as  to  how  much  of  the 
explosive  was  found  in  Spies'  office,  McKeough  said: 

"Mr.  Buck  says  there  is  enough  to  blow  this 
building  up." 

Three  or  four  men  asked,  hastily:  "Is  it  in  this 
building  now?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  McKeough,  "  it's  in  the  vault 
below." 


112  THE   CHICAGO    RIOT. 

Nearly  every  man  in  the  room  looked  uneasy. 

Detective  Michael  H.  Marks,  who  discovered  the 
explosive,  said  it  was  in  a  closet  opening  out  of 
Spies'  private  office,  on  the  second  floor  of  the 
building.  It  was  in  a  large  bag,  and  the  bag  was 
heavily  wrapped  with  brown  paper,  marked  "Adams 
Express  Co.,  New  York."  There  was  no  address  on 
the  package,  but  some  of  the  paper  had  been  torn 
off.  The  package  was  a  yard  wide  and  two  feet  high. 
Mr.  Marks  said  the  stuff  looked  just  like  that  found 
on  Desplaines  street  after  the  bomb  had  exploded 
on  Tuesday  night. 

F.  L.  Buck,  an  expert  in  the  use  of  explosives, 
gave  very  interesting  testimony.  He  had  used  all 
sorts  of  explosives  for  five  years  in  the  mines  of 
Colorado,  and  New  Mexico,  and  knew  them  all  by 
sight  and  smell.  He  examined  the  piece  of  lead 
taken  from  Degan's  thigh,  and  after  a  brief  scrutiny 
of  it  he  exclaimed: 

"  This  is  the  work  of  an  explosive.  Here  is 
some  of  the  cinder  from  burned  nitro-glycerine  on 
the  lead." 

Mr.  Buck  said  the  material  found  in  the  Ar- 
beiter  Zeitungs  office  was  what  is  known  as  giant 
powder.  It  is  made  by  soaking  paper  pulp  in 
nitro-glycerine.  This  particular  stuff,  however, 
had  been  mixed  with  sand.  The  effect  of  this 
would  be  to  make  much  more  terrible  wounds.  A 


THE  CHARGE  OF  THE  POLICE. 


THE   CHICAGO    RIOT.  113 

handful  of  that  mixture,  he  said,  exploded  on  the 
floor  of  the  room  where  the  inquest  was  in  prog- 
ress, would  kill  every  man  in  the  room.  It  can  be 
exploded  by  a  fuse  and  cap. 

A  bushy-haired  sewing  machine  agent,  who 
gave  his  name  as  Frank  Pennell,  voluntarily  tes- 
tified that  he  had  met  Chris  Spies  on  the  street 
Tuesday  evening,  and  that  Spies  said:  "If  the 
police  come  to  break  up  the  meeting  that's  just 
what  we  want.  They'll  get  a  bomb."  Chris  Spies 
looked  at  his  brother  and  laughed.  He  declared 
that  the  witness  was  mistaken,  and  he  stood  up  to 
let  Pennell  examine  him.  The  agent  looked  him 
over  carefully,  said  he  did  not  think  he  could  be 
mistaken,  but  would  not  swear  positively. 

Coroner  Hertz  said  that  he  had  brought  up 
Fielden,  Schwab,  and  the  Spies  brothers  as  wit- 
nesses, but  the  evidence  had  assumed  such  a  shape 
that  he  would  not  call  them.  If  they  desired  to 
testify  they  could  do  so,  but  if  not  they  need  not 
say  a  word. 

Young  Spies  stepped  briskly  forward  and  was 
sworn.  He  said  he  knew  nothing  of  the  Haymar- 
ket  meeting.  He  is  a  hardwood  finisher  by  trade, 
and  from  8  a.  m.  to.  4  p.  m.  was  in  attendance  at  a 
meeting  of  the  furniture  workers  at  Zepf's  hall, 
on  the  corner  of  Desplaines  and  Lake  streets.  He 
then  went  to  his  supper  at  13  Park  street,  and  at  8 
8 


114  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

o'clock  returned  to  Zepf's  hall  where  he  remained 
until  the  explosion  occurred  half  a  block  south. 
Wednesday  morning  he  went  to  the  Arbeiter  Zei- 
tung office  to  look  over  the  papers,  and  had  been 
there  only  a  few  minutes  when  he  was  arrested. 
He  had  not  been  there  for  six  months,  and  in  all 
had  been  at  that  office  only  three  or  four  times. 
He  said  his  brother  August  was  editor  of  the 
Arbeiter  Zeitung,  but  he  did  not  know  that  dynamite 
was  kept  in  the  office. 

Michael  Schwab  next  unfolded  himself  and 
arose.  Coroner  Hertz  asked :  "  Do  you  believe 
in  an  oath  ? "  Schwab  said  he  did  not  believe 
in  a  personal  God,  but  he  said  that  he  believed 
an  oath  bound  him  on  his  honor  to  tell  the  truth. 
He  said  he  lived  on  the  North  side,  at  51  Florimond 
street,  and  was  a  book-binder  by  trade.  For  four 
or  five  years  he  had  been  connected  with  the  Ar- 
beiter Zeitung,  at  present  as  assistant  editor.  On 
Tuesday  evening  he  left  home  at  7:40,  and  went  to 
the  Arbeiter  Zeitung  office.  A  telephone  message 
came  from  Deering  that  the  harvester  works  men 
were  holding  a  meeting  and  wanted  a  German  and 
English  speaker.  They  wanted  Spies.  Thinking 
Spies  might  be  at  the  Haymarket  meeting,  Schwab 
walked  over  there.  Not  finding  Spies,  he  decided 
to  go  to  Deering  himself.  He  went  out  by  a  Cly- 
bourn  avenue  car,  and  arrived  at  Deering  some 


THE   CHICAGO   RlOT.  115 

time  after  9  o'clock.  He  addressed  a  meeting  of 
a  thousand  or  thirteen  hundred  men. 

Schwab  said  he  had  seen  the  incendiary  circulars 
in  the  Arbciter  Zeitung  office,  but  denied  any  knowl- 
edge of  where  they  were  printed.  He  said  he  had 
nothing  to  do  with  the  mechanical  department  of 
the  Arbeiter  Zeitung.  He  did  not  know  who  com- 
posed "the  executive  committee  "  which  signed  the 
call  for  the  Haymarket  meeting.  He  made  speeches 
at  a  great  many  socialistic  meetings,  but  claimed 
that  he  did  not  know  who  arranged  them.  Fore- 
man Badenoch  asked  several  questions: 

"  Have  you  a  desk  in  the  same  room  with  Mr. 
Spies?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  What  made  you  think  Mr.  Spies  was  at  the 
Haymarket  meeting?" 

"  Well,  I  thought  several  Socialists  would  be 
there,  and  .he  might  be  there,  also." 

"  What  made  you  think  the  Socialists  got  up  that 
meeting?" 

"  The  make-up  of  the  circular.  I  mean  the  way 
it  reads.'* 

"Who  is  the  recognized  leader  of  the  Social- 
ists?" 

"There  is  no  one.  Every  branch  is  autono- 
mous." 

Sam   Fielden  then  arose  painfully,  and  limped 


116  THE   CHICAGO   RIOf. 

to  the  witness  chair.  Like  Schwab,  he  said  he  did 
not  believe  in  a  God.  He  was  a  materialist  and 
could  not  take  a  sacred  oath.  He  affirmed.  He 
gave  his  residence  and  his  business  and  said: 

"  Last  night  when  I  got  home  from  work  I  saw 
in  the  Daily  News  that  there  was  to  be  an  impor- 
tant meeting  of  the  American  group  of  Socialists, 
to  which  I  belong,  at  the  Arbeiter  Zeitung  office.  I 
hurried  down  there,  although  I  had  previously  en- 
gaged to  address  a  meeting  for  the  Central  Labor 
Union  at  378  West  Twelfth  street.  At  the  meeting 
of  the  American  group  we  discussed  the  question 
of  calling  meetings  to  organize  the  sewing  girls  of 
the  city.  At  that  meeting  I  learned  of  the  meeting 
on  Haymarket  square,  and  I  was  urged  to  go  over 
because  Mr.  Spies  was  there  alone.  I  consented  to 
go  over  with  Mr.  Parsons.  I  went  there  and  spoke, 
as  you  have  heard." 

Fielden  described  the  approach  of  the. police, 
and  said  that  when  Capt.  Ward  called  on  them  to 
disperse  he  remonstrated,  saying  it  was  a  peacea- 
ble meeting.  Capt,  Ward  repeated  his  order,  and 
Fielden  then  dismounted  from  the  wagon.  As  he 
stepped  to  the  sidewalk  he  received  the  shot  in  the 
knee.  Fielden  said  to  the  coroner: 

"  I  begged  and  prayed  of  the  officers  down- 
stairs to-day  to  dress  my  knee.  The  doctor  last 
night  said  it  must  be  dressed  to-day,  and  it  is  get- 


THE    CHICAGO    RIOT.  117 

ting  very  painful.  I  don't  wish  them  to  kill  me  by 
inches.  The  policemen  don't  seem  to  recognize 
the  fact  that  I  am  innocent  until  proved  guilty 

when  they  come  into  my  cell  and  call  me  a 

murdering ." 

Coroner  Hertz  assured  Fielden  that  he  should 
have  a  doctor. 

Fielden  said  he  had  not  the  slightest  idea  who 
threw  the  bomb,  and  that  he  had  no  suspicion 
there  was  a  bomb  in  the  audience.  He  admitted 
that  he  had  urged  the  people  to  throttle  the  law, 
but  he  said:  "  It  looks  very  fierce  to  put  it  that 
way  without  giving  one's  reasons  for  it.  I  am  an 
Anarchist.  I  admit  that.  I  don't  believe  in  ar- 
bitrary authority,  but  in  voluntary  association. 
I  consider  that  arbitrary  authority  is  inimical  to 
the  best  interests  of  human  faculties." 

The  foreman  asked:  "Did  you  ever  talk  about 
dynamite  with  Mr.  Spies?" 

"  Oh,  yes,"  replied  Fielden,  "  we  have  talked 
about  dynamite.  Who  has  not?  We  spoke  of  the 
assassination  of  the  Czar,  or  the  attempt  to  blow  up 
the  house  of  commons,  or  something  like  that." 

"  Have  you  discussed  with  him  the  use  of  dyna- 
mite in  America — its  possibilities?" 

"  Yes,  I  have." 

It  was  7:15  o'clock  when  Fielden  concluded. 
August  Spies  did  not  desire  to  make  any  statement. 


118  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

Coroner  Hertz  directed  the  jury  to  retire.  The 
four  Anarchists  were  taken  to  their  cells.  The  jury 
was  out  half  an  hour,  calling  Attorney  Furthman 
twice  to  consult  with  them.  At  7:45  o'clock  the 
following  verdict  was  returned: 

"State  of  Illinois,  Cook  County,  ss. — An  inquisi- 
tion was  taken  for  the  people  of  the  state  of  Illi- 
nois' at  the  city  hall  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  in 
said  county  of  Cook,  on  the  5th  day  of  May, 
A.  D.  1886,  before  me,  Henry  L.  Hertz,  coroner,  in 
and  for  said  county,  upon  view  of  the  body  of 
Matthias  J.  Began,  then  and  there  lying  dead, 
upon  the  oaths  of  six  good  and  lawful  men  of  the 
said  county,  who  being  duly  sworn  to  inquire  on 
the  part  of  the  people  of  the  state  of  Illinois  into 
all  the  circumstances  attending  the  death  of  the 
said  Matthias  J.  Began,  and  by  whom  the  same  was 
produced,  and  in  what  manner  and  when  and  where 
the  said  Matthias  J.  Began  came  to  his  death,  do 
say,  upon  their  oaths,  as  aforesaid,  that  the 
said  Matthias  J.  Began,  now  lying  dead  at  the 
county  hospital,  in  said  city  of  Chicago,  county  of 
Cook,  state  of  Illinois,  came  to  death  on  the  4th 
day  of  May,  A.  D.  1886,  from  shock  and  hemor- 
rhage caused  by  a  wound  produced  by  a  piece  of 
bomb  thrown  by  an  unknown  person,  aided,  abetted, 
and  encouraged  by  August  Spies,  Christ  Spies, 
Michael  Schwab,  A.  R.  Parsons,  Samuel  Fielden, 


THE    CHK'AC.O    RIOT.  119 

and  other  unknown  persons;  and  we,  the  jury,  re- 
commend that  said  unknown  person,  who  threw 
said  bomb  be  apprehended  and  held  to  the  grand 
jury  without  bail;  and  we  further  recommend  that 
said  August  Spies,  Samuel  Fielden,  Michael  Schwab, 
and  Christ  Spies,  as  accessories  before  the  fact,  be 
held  to  await  the  further  action  of  the  grand  jury 
without  bail  and,  further,  that  the  said  A.  R.  Par- 
sons and  the  aforementioned  unknown  persons  be 
apprehended  and  committed  as  accessories  without 
bail  to  the  grand  jury;  and  we,  the  jury,  recom- 
mend that  the  constituted  authorities  in  the  future 
strictly  enforce  the  statute  prohibiting  the  holding 
of  unlawful  meetings." 

The  verdict  was  signed  by  all  the  jurors. 

Shortly  after  the  coroner's  jury  rendered  its  ver- 
dict Spies,  Fielden,  and  Schwab,  who  were  confined 
in  separate  cells  at  the  Central  station,  were  visited. 

Spies  had  for  cellmates  W.  D.  Malkoff,  an  Ar- 
beiter  Zeitung  reporter,  and  a  young  man  caged  for 
some  other  offense.  He  appeared  much  depressed 
by  the  trouble  he  had  got  into,  and  at  first  was  dis- 
inclined to  talk.  When  asked  if  he  had  secured 
counsel,  Spies  replied: 

"  No,  I  have  had  no  chance  yet.  They  have  not 
allowed  any  one  to  see  me.  I  know  a  good  many 
lawyers  and  can  easily  get  one  to  defend  me  if 
necessary.  I  want  to  know  first,  though,  of  what  I 


120  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

am  accused.  What  has  the  coroner's  jury  done; 
have  you  heard  ?" 

"  All  of  you  are  charged  with  being  accessories 
to  the  murder  of  Officer  Began,  and  are  held  to  the 
grand  jury  without  bail." 

When  he  heard  this  Spies  was  speechless  with 
emotion  for  several  minutes,  and  recovered  himself 
with  difficulty.  Finally  he  said,  in  t>roken  sentences: 

"  I  don't  see  how  that  can  be.  How  could  they 
do  that  ?  I  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  throwing 
of  the  bomb.  Well,  I  suppose  I  shall  have  to  prove 
that  they  were  wrong.  I  think  I  can  easily  do  that. 
I  can  show  by  at  least  a  dozen  that  I  disapproved 
of  holding  the  meeting.  If  I  had  known  how  it 
would  result  I  would  have  prevented  its  being  held 
at  all  hazards.  I  didn't  want  to  go  there  to  speak. 
I  told  Schwab  so.  I  thought  in  the  present  excite- 
ment there  might  be  trouble,  and  that  it  would  not 
be  beneficial  either  to  me  or  to  the  cause.  I  went 
to  the  meeting  and  made  a  quieting  speech.  I  said 
the  time  had  not  come  for  action.  I  said  the  meet- 
ing was  not  called  to  incite  a  riot.  When  some  one 
called  out '  Hang  McCormick,'  I  said  the  time  might 
come  when  that  should  be  done,  but  it  had  not 
come  yet.  I  told  the  people  to  organize  and  keep 
together,  but  that  the  time  for  action  had  not 
come.  There  was  nothing  wrong  in  that.  This 
case  has  been  made  up  against  me." 


THE    CHICAGO    RIOT.  121 

Spies  said  that  just  before  the  bomb  exploded 
he  had  jumped  down  from  the  wagon  from  which 
the  speeches  were  made.  After  being  questioned 
closely  for  some  time  he  reluctantly  admitted  that 
a  young  man  named  William  Lichtner  had  told  him 
to  "get  down  now."  He  denied  knowing  anything 
about  Lichtner,  except  that  his  brother  was  once  a 
reporter  on  the  Demokrat,  General  Lieb's  paper. 

Spies  said  further  that  the  explosion  was  a  per- 
fect surprise  to  him.  He  thought  the  police  had 
opened  on  the  crowd  with  artillery.  Then  the 
shooting  began,  and  he  ran  to  Zepf 's  saloon,  where 
some  one  told  him  it  was  caused  by  a  bomb.  He 
did  not  know  who  the  man  was.  Mrs.  Parsons 
was  in  the  saloon  waiting  for  her  husband.  He 
staid  there  a  few  minutes  and  then  went  home. 

When  questioned  about  bombs  Spies  said  he 
knew  a  good  deal  about  them  from  having  read  of 
them.  He  said  he  had  the  two  giant-powder  car- 
tridges and  the  fuse  in  his  desk  in  order  to  show 
them  to  reporters  and  others  who  came  to  him  to 
ask  about  such  things.  There  were  no  bombs  or 
any  other  dynamite  in  the  Arbeitcr  Zeitung  office 
that  he  knew  of.  When  told  that  half  a  bushel  of 
dynamite,  several  bombs  and  some  firearms  had 
been  found  there,  he  seemed  somewhat  nonplussed, 
and  said  he  did  not  know  of  everything  that  was  in 
the  office. 


122  THE   CHICAGO    RIOT. 

Fielden  occupied  another  cell  with  a  cellmate 
who  concealed  his  identity  by  lying  on  the  upper 
bunk  with  his  coat  thrown  over  his  head.  Fielden 
was  stretched  out  on  the  lower  bunk.  He  said  his 
knee  was  paining  him  a  good  deal.  He,  too,  showed 
that  he  was  apprehensive  of  serious  consequences 
of  the  trouble  he  was  in.  When  told  that  he  was 
held  for  murder  without  bail  his  haggard  face 
looked  the  picture  of  misery.  He  denied  all  knowl- 
edge of  the  throwing  of  the  bomb  or  the  calling  of 
the  meeting.  He  said  he  had  no  idea  who  had 
anything  to  do  with  either  of  them.  He  explained 
that  he  belonged  to  the  American  group  of  Social- 
ists, and  that  the  International  Workingmen's  Pro- 
tective Association,  or  the  Socialistic  organization, 
was  the  leader  of  the  Central  Labor  Union,  though 
it  was  not  identical  with  it. 

Schwab  appeared  the  most  unconcerned  of  the 
three,  and  seemed  only  slightly  affected  when  told 
that  he  had  been  held  for  murder.  He  said  he 
went  to  Haymarket  square  with  Balthazar  Rau,  a 
collector  for  the  Arbeiter  Zeitung,  but  left  before  the 
meeting  began  and  spoke  at  a  meeting  of  Deering's 
men  in  Lake  View.  He,  too,  denied  knowing  any- 
thing of  the  bomb-throwing  or  of  the  persons  who 
called  the  meeting.  He  contradicted  Spies  in  sev- 
eral statements.  He  said  that  Spies  had  written  a 
number  of  editorials  within  the  last  two  weeks. 


THE    CHICAGO    RIOT.  123 

He  said,  further,  that  he  never  saw  any  dynamite 
or  bombs  in  the  Arbeiter  office,  or  ever  heard  of  any 
being  there.  He  believed  in  the  Socialists  using 
arms,  but  not  dynamite  or  bombs.  He  admitted 
writing  the  inflammatory  editorial  calling  on  the  So- 
cialists to  arm,  and  added  that  he  did  that  continu- 
ally. There  were,  he  thought,  twenty  or  twenty- 
five  groups  or  different  societies  of  Anarchists  in 
Chicago. 

The  day  following  the  riot,  John  Burnett,  a 
candymaker,  informed  the  police  that  he  had  been 
to  the  meeting  on  Tuesday  night  and  had  stood 
directly  behind  the  man  who  threw  the  bomb. 
The  description  which  he  gave  of  the  man,  led  to 
the  arrest,  on  May  14,  of  Louis  Lingg.  He  was  ar- 
rested at  80  Ambrose  street,  in  the  southwestern 
part  of  the  city,  by  a  detail  of  detectives  and  patrol- 
men from  the  East  Chicago  avenue  station. 

The  morning  after  the  Haymarket  riot  Lingg 
moved  from  442  Sedgwick  street  to  Ambrose  street, 
where  he  kept  to  his  room  closely,  saying  that  he 
was  sick.  When  arrested  he  made  a  desperate  re- 
sistance. The  detective  who  made  the  arrest  went 
alone  to  the  house,  a  squad  of  officers  remaining 
some  distance  away.  If  the  detective  did  not  re- 
appear in  three  minutes  the  officers  were  to  enter 
the  house  after  him.  He  knocked  on  the  door  and 
was  answered  by  the  German  landlady.  Her  house 


124  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

is  a  small,  two-story  frame,  separated  some  distance 
from  the  neighboring  buildings.  The  officer  was 
in  plain  clothes.  He  said  he  wished  to  talk  to  the 
woman  a  few  minutes.  He  entered  the  house  with- 
out waiting  for  her  invitation,  and  walked  directly 
into  Lingg's  room.  The  young  Anarchist  was  sit- 
ting at  the  table  writing.  He  seemed  to  have  in- 
stantly recognized  his  abrupt  visitor  as  an  officer, 
and  grabbed  a  large  Remington  revolver  which  lay 
upon  the  table.  The  officer  sprang  upon  him  before 
Lingg  could  shoot.  The  men  grappled  in  a  struggle 
for  life,  which  was  so  desperate  that  neither  could 
use  his  revolver.  They  rolled  upon  the  floor,  first 
one  on  top  and  then  the  other.  Lingg  got  the  offi- 
cer's thumb  in  his  mouth  and  bit  it  almost  off.  The 
woman  began  to  scream.  At  this  instant  the 
policemen  on  the  outside  burst  open  the  door  and 
rushed  in.  Lingg  was  instantly  overpowered  and 
handcuffed.  A  long  and  keen  dirk-knife  was  found 
strapped  to  his  waist.  The  patrol  wagon  was  called 
and  he  was  removed  to  the  Hinman  street  station, 
about  half  a  mile  distant,  where  he  was  kept  until 
3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  he  was  taken  to  the 
East  Chicago  avenue  station.  After  his  arrival 
there  a  large  squad  of  officers  were  kept  in  the 
station  and  outsiders  were  locked  out  of  every  room 
except  the  public  office. 

Lingg  is  a  young  German  carpenter  who  had 


THE  CHICAGO    RIOT.  125 

been  rooming  at  442  Sedgwick  street,  on  the  North 
side,  with  a  young  man  named  Selliger.  On 
Thursday,  May  6,  the  police  visited  this  room. 
Lingg  was  not  to  be  found,  and  his  room-mate, 
Selliger,  said  he  had  not  seen  him  since  Wednes- 
day morning  and  did  not  know  where  he  was. 
Selliger  was  arrested  and  the  room  was  searched. 
In  Lingg's  trunk  were  found  two  pistols,  two 
long  dynamite  bombs,  a  large  lot  of  shells  and 
cartridges  and  a  quantity  of  Anarchist  pamphlets 
and  newspapers.  The  trunk  was  taken  to  the 
East  Chicago  avenue  station,  where  Capt.  Schaack 
carefully  went  through  its  contents.  In  the 
trunk  were  a  large  number  of  letters  and  pieces 
of  writing  in  German,  which  showed  that  Lingg 
had  been  one  of  the  most  rabid  Anarchists  in  the 
city,  and  that  he  was  in  correspondence  with  the 
leading  agitators  in  this  and  other  cities. 

Capt.  Schaack  secured  a  careful  description  of 
Lingg.  He  is  twenty-two  years  of  age,  and  a  car- 
penter by  trade.  He  came  to  America  only  eight 
months  ago.  He  is  a  little  above  medium  height, 
very  fair  in  complexion,  and  wears  a  small  blonde 
mustache  and  goatee.  His  cheeks  are  rosy,  and  he 
is  a  man  of  strong  build  and  robust  constitution. 
He  always  dressed  well. 

Lingg's  disappearance  from  his  boarding-house 
caused  suspicion.  It  was  learned  that  he  was  one 


126  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

of  the  inner  circle  of  Anarchists.  It  was  found  that 
he  had  been  at  the  Haymarket  meeting.  Capt. 
Schaack  secured  the  description  which  John  Bur- 
nett, the  confectioner,  gave  of  the  man  whom  he 
had.  seen  throw  the  bomb.  It  was  a  description  of 
Lingg.  A  thorough  search  for  him  was  at  once 
begun.  His  location  at  80  Ambrose  street  was  not 
learned  until  Thursday.  Just  how  he  was  tracked 
is  not  known.  Detectives  had  been  searching  for 
him  on  the  West  side  for  several  days.  Selliger 
let  drop  a  remark  that  Lingg  had  gone  across  the 
river.  It  is  said  that  one  of  Lingg's  associates 
was  shadowed  to  the  little  frame  house  on  Am- 
brose street. 

It  was  learned  from  some  of  the  Anarchists  who 
had  been  under  police  examination  that  Lingg  was 
one  of  the  chief  plotters  in  the  Anarchist  camp. 
He  was  one  of  August  Spies'  principal  confidants. 
Balthazar  Rau  had  given  to  the  police  some  of 
Lingg's  record  and  the  position  he  occupied  among 
the  conspirators.  Lingg's  work  as  an  agitator  was 
principally  among  the  German  and  Bohemian  car- 
penters. For  several  months  he  had  been  the  main 
speaker  at  their  meetings.  On  the  evening  of  Fri- 
day, April  30,  a  great  mass  meeting  of  carpenters 
was  held  in  Uhlich's  hall,  on  North  Clark  street. 
The  American  and  Irish  Carpenters  had  main- 
tained that  their  demand  should  be  for  eight  hours 


THE   CHICAGO   RIOT.  127 

work  at  eight  hours'  pay.  Lingg  made  a  rabid 
harangue,  in  which  he  insisted  that  the  men  could 
not  stand  a  reduction  in  wages,  that  they  had  a 
right  to  demand  higher  pay  even,  and  urged  them 
to  strike  for  ten  hours'  pay  for  eight  hours'  work. 
He  abused  employers  and  capitalists  in  general, 
and  was  very  extreme  in  his  views.  His  speech 
was  received  by  the  Germans  and  Bohemians  with 
shouts  of  approval.  They  were  outvoted  by  the 
union,  and  with  Lingg  at  their  head  they  seceded 
from  the  carpenters'  organization.  Lingg  was  a 
member  of  branch  3  of  the  carpenters'  union,  and 
belonged  to  the  German  international  group,  of 
which  Spies,  Schwab  and  Rau  were  members. 

Within  three  days  after  the  riot,  the  following 
contributions  of  money  had  been  received  by  Chief 
of  Police  Ebersold  for  the  benefit  of  the  families  of 
the  dead  policemen  and  others.  It  shows  the  gen- 
erosity of  Chicago  business-men,  and  was  a  substan- 
tial expression  of  their  gratitude: 

Cash,  for  temporary  use,  $250;  Charles  Henrotin, 
$50;  Cash,  $100;  E.  A.  Trussing,  $100;  National 
Bank  of  Illinois,  $200;  W.  S.  McCrea,  $50;  E.  S. 
Dryer  &  Co.,  $50;  Moses  &  Newman,  $50;  Norton 
Brothers,  $100;  John  Herting,  $30;  Chicago  Stock 
Exchange,  $250;  George  L.  Dunlap,  $100;  H. 
Schaffner  &  Co.,  $50;  Home  National  Bank,  $100; 
Thomas  Dent,  $10;  Unknown,  by  mail,  $2;  Citi- 


128  4  .  THE    CHICAGO    RIOT. 

zens  of  Troy,  N.  Y.,  by  telegraph,  $20;  Railroads, 
$10,750;  Daily  News,  Chicago,  $500;  H.  L.  Penny, 
$10;  Julius  Wadsworth,  New  York,  $500;  M.  C. 
Stearns,  $200;  Jacob  Rosenberg,  $100;  F.  Siegel  & 
Bros.,  $25;  William  Skinner  &  Son,  per  F.  A.  Luce, 
$100;  N.  W.  Harris  &  Co.,  $50;  Dupee,  Judah  & 
Willard,  $25;  Drake,  Parker  &  Co.,  $200;  Potter 
Palmer,  $1,000;  Mark  Skinner,  $100;  W.  R.  Page, 
$20;  Austin  J.  Doyle,  $100;  William  Borden,  $200; 
Selz,  Schwab  &  Co.,  $100;  W.  N.  Eisendrath,  $25; 
J.  V.  Farwell,  $500;  Hibernian  Banking  Associa- 
tion, $100;  E.  Walker,  $100;  Western  Union  Tel. 
Co.,  per  R.  C.  Clowry,  $300;  William  Wehner,  $50; 
Furniture  manufacturers,  jobbers,  and  retailers  per 
R.  Deimel  &  Bros.,  $390;  The  Board  of  Trade, 
$12,085;  The  Hardware  Merchants,  $1,925;  The 
Iroquois  Club,  $1,070.  Total,  $30,755. 


FINIS. 


HX 


